Australia captain, women’s cricket great Alyssa Healy to retire

Record-breaking wicketkeeper-batter to discontinue the crippled aft the ODI and Test bid against India successful March.

Alyssa Healy, a mainstay of Australia’s ascendant women’s cricket ‍team for 15 ‍years and its existent captain, has announced that she volition discontinue from the crippled aft the upcoming multi-format bid against India.

“It’s with mixed emotions that the upcoming India bid volition ‍be my past for Australia,” she said successful a connection connected Tuesday.

The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batter was portion of 2 one-day planetary (ODI) World Cup triumphs and six palmy T20 World ⁠Cup campaigns earlier taking implicit arsenic skipper aft the status of Meg Lanning successful ​late 2023.

“I’m inactive passionate astir playing for Australia, but I’ve somewhat mislaid that competitory borderline that’s kept maine driven since the start, ‍so the clip ⁠feels close to telephone it a day,” the modern women’s cricket large said.

“I’ll genuinely miss my teammates, singing the squad opus and walking retired to unfastened the batting for Australia.”

Healy made her Australia debut successful 2010 and scored 3,563 runs with 7 centuries successful ODIs and 3,054 with a azygous 100 successful Twenty20s for her country, arsenic good arsenic making 275 dismissals down the stumps.

She holds the grounds for astir dismissals (126) successful women’s T20 planetary cricket.

As a people of ​her presumption successful Australia, Healy was ne'er defined by her ‌relationship with her uncle, Australia wicketkeeping large Ian, nor her husband, paceman Mitchell Starc.

Healy had already announced her status from T20 internationals and volition play her past ‌matches for Australia successful 3 ODIs and a azygous Test against India successful February and March.

Women’s cricket has travel connected successful leaps and bounds during Healy’s career, but contempt having missed lone 2 Tests for Australia since her debut successful January 2011, her last lucifer volition beryllium lone her 11th successful the longest format of the game.

Taking implicit arsenic full-time Australian skipper successful 2023 from Meg Lanning, Healy famously led the broadside to a historical 16-0 whitewash of England.

‘Helped thrust women’s cricket’

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led the tributes aft her announcement.

“Alyssa Healy is simply a existent fable of Australian cricket. As ‌a batter, keeper and skipper she has been 1 of the brightest stars successful a aureate era,” helium said successful ‌a statement.

“Yet Alyssa’s interaction and illustration disconnected the tract ⁠has been each spot arsenic important. She has helped thrust and turn women’s cricket and inspired a caller procreation on the way.”

She is regarded arsenic arguably 1 of the astir destructive batters and finest wicketkeepers successful satellite cricket.

“Alyssa is 1 of the all-time greats of the crippled and has made an immeasurable publication some connected and disconnected the tract implicit her 15-year career,” said Cricket Australia main Todd Greenberg.

“On behalf of Australian cricket, I’d similar to convey Alyssa and congratulate her connected an unthinkable vocation that has inspired truthful galore and changed the crippled for the better.”

Tributes besides poured successful from cricket fans and experts connected societal media.

“[Healy] volition spell down arsenic an all-time large and 1 of the astir important ambassadors successful women’s cricket,” wrote sports writer Annesha Ghosh.

Healy had a little stint arsenic a commentator and expert during the caller men’s Ashes series. Her investigation and penetration into the crippled became an instant deed with fans, who praised her expertise and articulate mode of speaking connected the game.

Some fans went connected to complaint her arsenic the champion commentator of the series, up of men’s cricket greats and highly experienced commentators.