20 Facts about Ian Healy: The quintessential wicket-keeper

Ian Healy was an important part of the Australian team of the 80’s which experienced a resurgence in international cricket. Healy can be counted among the wicket keepers whose primary role in the team was to keep wickets, unlike his modern successors. Healy liked being totally involved with the team. He was an expert behind the stumps, both against the quick bowlers and while standing up for the spinners. He could also accumulate vital runs flashing his blade as a lower middle order batsman.  His constant chatter behind the stumps and face-offs with batsman further added flavor to his on-field reputation.

1.Born On:

Ian Andrew Healy was born on April 30, 1964, in the Brisbane suburb of Spring Hill, Queensland. Healy has two brothers and a sister; Ken, Greg, and Kim. Brother Ken was also a cricketer who played a single Sheffield Shield game for Queensland in 1990 and a single List-A game in 1991.

2. Early years:

Healy and his family relocated 600 kilometers (370 mi) north to the small town of Biloela in 1972, due to his father’s transfer in his job as a bank manager.

3. Education:

Healy was educated at Brisbane State High School.

4. A sportsman at heart:

Healy was a sportsman at heart and played various sports like basketball, soccer, squash and rugby league before choosing cricket.

5. Inspiration:

Healy was inspired by the legendary Australian wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh and took up wicket-keeping to emulate his idol

6. Honing his skills with the seniors:

Healy represented the Queensland under-11 team. During the time, he attended a clinic conducted by the touring Queensland cricketers. The team’s wicket-keeper John Maclean, who is known as his earliest mentors, gave him specialist coaching to fine-tune his art. This exposure gave further impetus to his junior career as during his later years in the town, Healy frequently played alongside adults which accelerated his progress even more.

7. Returns to his hometown:

Healy returned to Brisbane with his family at the age of 17 and then played for Brisbane State High School 1st XI and 1st Xv. He then joined the Northern Suburbs club in Brisbane’s grade competition in 1982. He also went on play three matches for the Queensland Colts as a specialist batsman.

8. First class debut:

Healy made his first-class debut in 1986–87 for Queensland as a replacement for the injured Peter Anderson. However, Healy managed only six first-class appearances  in the next one and half years as Anderson remained the first choice as the state’s wicketkeeper.

9. Surprise selection in the national team:

Healy selection for the Australian team to tour Pakistan in late 1988 was a major surprise, majorly due to the handful of FC matches he had played before. The Australian selectors were searching someone capable to fill the big void left open since the retirement of Healy’s boyhood hero, Rod Marsh in 1984. Australian selector Greg Chappell had watched Healy’s progress in Queensland and was impressed enough to give the young man an opportunity to showcase his abilities. The decision turned out to be fruitful as Healy soon became the pulse of the Australian team for the next ten years.

10. Test debut:

Healy made his debut in the 1^st Test of the Pakistan tour at Karachi. The wicket-keeper had later admitted that he was overwhelmed by his sudden elevation and took some time to settle into the team.

 11. Sri Lanka’s tactics lead to his omission:

During the 1997/98 season, there was a wide debate over the issue of playing separate teams for Tests and ODIs. This debate directly affected Ian Healy and Test captain, Mark Taylor as both were dropped from the ODI team. Another factor which played its role in his omission was the emergence of Adam Gilchrist. Sri Lanka won the 1996 World Cup utilizing a strategy of ultra-aggressive opening batsmen gathering maximum at the start of the innings. Gilchrist, a wicket-keeper himself, displayed similar qualities since his ODI debut in 1995 and soon occupied Healy’s place in the ODI team.

12. Break world record:

On 4 October 1998, Healy broke Rod Marsh’s world record of 355 dismissals when he caught Wasim Akram from the bowling of Colin Miller, during the first Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi. It was his 104th Test compared with Marsh’s 96 Tests.

 13. Forlorn farewell:

During the 1999–2000 season, the selectors had made it clear that Adam Gilchrist was their first choice wicket-keeper in both the formats. Initially, Healy requested that he be allowed to play one more season and then retire, which was refused. He then asked to play the first Test, scheduled for his home ground at Brisbane, as a farewell. This, too, was refused, therefore, he announced his immediate retirement from all forms of the game in a statement released on 28 October 1999.

14. Retires as the best:

By the time of his retirement, Healy held the world record for most Test dismissals by a wicket-keeper. He ended with 395 dismissals from 119 Tests. This tally was subsequently overtaken by South African wicketkeeper Mark Boucher (in his 103rd test, 16 fewer than Healy) and other Australian wicketkeepers Adam Gilchrist in his 96th Test which was his last.  Healy also finished his ODI career with a world record number of 233 dismissals, a mark which has been since overtaken by Gilchrist, Mark Boucher, Moin Khan and Kumar Sangakkara.

15. The record which would not be fond of:

Healy also jointly holds the record in Test cricket (along with Mark Taylor) of being the only cricketers to have been run out in both innings of a Test on two occasions.

16. Acknowledgement:

Healy’s performances were acknowledged when he was selected as the wicketkeeper in the Australian Cricket Board’s team of the 20th century, ahead of greats such as Rod Marsh, Wally Grout and Don Tallon.

17. Wisden cricketer of the year:

He was also recognised as a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1994.

18. Life post-retirement:

Since retiring, he has gone on to a career as a news presenter for Channel Nine in Brisbane, as well as coaching the Somerville House cricket team. Since 1999, Healy has been a cricket commentator.

19. Hall of Fame:

He was inducted into the Sports Australia Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2008.

20. Personal life:

He is married to Helen and has two daughters Emma and Laura, and a son, Tom, who is also a wicketkeeper, has represented Queensland and Australia at Under–19 level. His niece Alyssa Healy keeps wicket for the Australia women’s national cricket team, the Southern Stars in the domestic circuit.