Australia’s women’s cricket captain, Alyssa Healy, has put to rest any speculation about retiring after the 2025 ODI World Cup. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter has expressed her desire to continue playing beyond the tournament, aiming not only to lead Australia’s title defence in India later this year but also to feature in the home summer that follows.
After a year plagued by injuries, Healy is now focused on making a strong comeback. The 35-year-old last appeared in competitive cricket in January during the Women’s Ashes Test. She played solely as a batter due to a stress fracture in her foot, which prevented her from taking up wicketkeeping duties. This injury, along with an earlier knee issue, kept her out of several key tournaments including the Women’s Big Bash League, the ODI series in New Zealand, and the Women’s Premier League in India.
Speaking to Cricbuzz, Healy reflected on how her recent setbacks have influenced her mindset and future plans. “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,” she said. “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 and March.”
Healy is set to return to action during the Australia A series against India A in August as she works towards regaining full match fitness ahead of the ODI World Cup scheduled for October and November. She has been named in both the one-day and T20 squads for the series, with Tahlia McGrath captaining the 50-over side.
Despite not having kept wickets in a match since January, Healy remains confident about managing her workload. Since the retirement of Meg Lanning in 2023, Healy has taken charge of guiding a relatively new-look Australian side, which is now aiming to become the first team since 1988 to win back-to-back ODI World Cups.
