Australia’s women’s captain, Alyssa Healy, has quashed any talk of the 2025 ODI World Cup being her last dance, stating her desire to continue playing after the marquee event. After a tough year with constant injuries, Healy is now eyeing a strong comeback, not just to lead Australia’s title defence in India, but also to feature in the home summer that follows.
The 35-year-old last played in January during the Women’s Ashes Test, where she featured as a pure batter due to a stress fracture in her foot, denying her chance to keep wicket. This injury, along with a prior knee issue, ruled her out of major tournaments like the WBBL, the ODI series in New Zealand, and the Women’s Premier League in India.
"It's probably shifted a little bit. It's made me realise that I still want to do a little bit more than maybe what I thought. At the same time, sometimes there's stuff in life that is a little bit more important than pulling on the green and gold. So it's just a constant reassess. But at the moment, I want to play a home summer. I want to bring the World Cup home, but also to play against India (in February-March)," Healy said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
The Australia A series against India A in August is set to mark Healy’s return to action, as she is preparing to come back to full match fitness ahead of the ODI World Cup in October-November. She has been included in both the one-day and T20 squads, with Tahlia McGrath leading the 50-over format.
Healy has not kept wickets in a match since January
"But at the moment, I definitely want to play a home summer. I want to bring the World Cup home, but also to play against India (in February-March)," he added.
Australia are looking to become the first team since 1988 to win back-to-back ODI World Cups. Since Meg Lanning’s retirement in 2023, Healy has spent her time and energy on guiding a new side to another title. Interestingly, Healy has not kept wickets in a match since January, but is confident of her workload management.