Australian PM, cricket fraternity laud Healy’s incredible career after Aussie great announces retirement
Sydney, Jan 13 (IANS/WISHAVWARTA) Australia captain Alyssa Healy, on Tuesday, announced that she will draw the curtains on her glittering 16-year international career after the home series against India. The wicketkeeper-batter will lead Australia in three ODIs, three T20Is and a one-off Test before signing off in front of the home crowd.
Healy’s announcement received widespread reactions from the cricket community and Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who praised her for her remarkable contributions to the sport. He also believed that Healy has the potential to become an excellent commentator.
“Alyssa Healy is a legend. She has had such an incredible career playing for Australia and leading Australia. The rise of women’s cricket, which has in parallel seen a rise of other women’s sports, is a great thing. It is a fantastic team that she has led. She is not only a great player, but she will also, I’m sure, continue to evolve as I think she’s a great cricket commentator,” he said in a post shared on X.
Mitchell Starc, Australia’s ace pacer and Healy’s partner, posted a photo of the cricketer celebrating her century against England on Instagram, with an orange heart as the caption, and also posted a picture on his Insta story, writing “Proud of ya.”
Cricket Australia posted a video in which former Aussie skipper Meg Lanning and Healy’s current teammates Phoebe Litchfield and her deputy Tahlia McGrath commended her intent and skills as a captain.
Australia’s leading all-rounder, Ellyse Perry, who has seen Healy’s career closely, also responded to her captain’s retirement. She shared Cricket Australia’s post praising Healy’s impact on her Instagram story, writing ‘irreplaceable’ next to it.
“It’s with mixed emotions that the upcoming India series will be my last for Australia,” Healy said while announcing retirement. “I’m still passionate about playing for Australia, but I’ve somewhat lost that competitive edge that’s kept me driven since the start, so the time feels right to call it a day.”
“Knowing I won’t be going to the T20 World Cup this year and the limited preparation time the team has, I won’t be part of the T20s against India, but I’m excited to have the opportunity to finish my career and captain the ODI and Test side at home against India, one of the biggest series on the calendar for us,” she added.
Healy has scored 489 runs in 10 Tests. She has accumulated 3,563 runs across 123 ODIs and 3,054 runs in 162 T20Is. In December 2023, she was appointed Australia’s full-time captain, taking over from Meg Lanning.
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