Australia captain Alyssa Healy has announced her retirement from all forms of cricket. Healy will bid goodbye to cricket after the multi-format series against India which will begin on February 15 and end on March 6.
The decision came months after Healy-led Australia's defeat to Harmanpreet Kaur's India in the Women's ODI World Cup 2025 semifinal.
Healy revealed that she realised during the last year’s Women's Big Bash League (WBBL) that it is time to hang up the boots.
"It's been a long time coming," Healy said on Willow Talk podcast where she is one of the regular panellists. "The last few years has been probably more mentally draining than anything else. A few injuries. I've got to dive into the well, and the well is getting less and less full of water. Getting harder to dive back in there.
"I've always felt like I've had a competitive edge in that I want to compete, I want to win and I want to challenge myself on the park. I've felt as I've got a little bit older, I've not necessarily lost all of it, but I've lost some of that.
"I think the WBBL [last year] was probably a bit of a wake-up call. Not being able to hold the bat with two hands didn't help either but waking up and going, 'just another day of cricket', really surprised myself because I still thought I loved playing the game."
Why Healy didn’t want to announce her retirement earlier?
Healy said that she didn’t want to announce her retirement but she has to considering there will be leadership change leading up to the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 in England.
"There might be a little bit of change within that series [against India] leading into the World Cup, and some leadership stuff. But for me, the opportunity to play at home, still captain the team in that series is going to be really special," Healy said.
"I never wanted to announce it, wanted to get to the end of the Test match [against India, starting March 6 in Perth], but with me not going into the T20 World Cup, it's forced a little bit of change. Not a lot of T20 cricket leading into that for the girls, so it's probably the place for me to make a decision on that format and give the girls an opportunity to prepare for that World Cup knowing that I'm not going to be there.”
"It has forced an announcement of sorts, but it has given me some peace as well because I've known this in the back of my mind for probably six months. But to finally say it and get it out there, would be ideal for everyone to just clap it and move on.
"At the end of the day, to have an opportunity to finish at home against India, which is on the calendar one of the biggest series for us. I thought that would be a really cool way to finish with some of my team-mates and some family around as well. It would've been nice to do it in India with a World Cup, but doing it at home will be something special."
Healy has been a part of Australia's six T20 World Cup title wins (2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023). She has also won two ODI World Cups (2013 and 2022).
Alyssa Healy’s numbers across formats
The 35-year-old has played 123 ODIs and scored 3,563 runs at an average of 35.98, featuring seven centuries and eight fifties.
In T20Is, she has 3,054 runs from 162 T20Is at an average of 25.45, including a century and seven fifties.
In Tests, the wicketkeeper-batter has scored 489 runs from 16 innings at an average of 30.56, including three fifties.