Alyssa Healy to retire at summer’s end, bringing down the curtain on a Golden Era

Australia captain Alyssa Healy has announced her retirement from all forms of cricket, confirming the end of an extraordinary 16-year international career at the conclusion of the home multi-format series against India in March. The Perth Test at the WACA, starting on March 6, will mark her final appearance in Australian colours.

The decision comes just months before the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, with Healy opting to retire immediately from T20 internationals, ruling herself out of the three-match T20I series against India in February. The move allows Australia valuable preparation time ahead of the global tournament, even though it means the 35-year-old will miss a potential farewell on home soil in Sydney.

Healy revealed the news on the Willow Talk podcast, explaining that while her passion for representing Australia remains, the competitive edge that fuelled her career had begun to fade. “The time feels right,” she said, acknowledging the mental toll of recent seasons marked by injuries and relentless expectations.

Should she feature in all three ODIs against India, the WACA Test will be Healy’s 299th and final international, bringing to a close one of the most decorated careers in women’s cricket history. She finishes as the most prolific wicketkeeper in the women’s international game, with 269 dismissals across formats, while her 7,106 runs rank her among Australia’s greatest batters, behind only Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry.

On the world stage, Healy has been synonymous with dominance. She was a central figure in seven World Cup triumphs, including the unforgettable 2022 ODI World Cup final where her blistering 170 against England remains the highest individual score in any World Cup final, men’s or women’s. Her unbeaten 148 in T20Is stands as a benchmark among ICC full-member nations.

Injuries have increasingly shaped the twilight of her career, from a fractured thumb and calf strain to a stress injury in her foot that disrupted multiple campaigns. Yet even amid physical setbacks, Healy remained a fierce competitor and a transformative leader. After succeeding Meg Lanning as full-time captain in 2023, she led Australia to victories in nearly 80 per cent of matches and masterminded a historic Ashes whitewash.

Healy will also retire from domestic and franchise cricket, closing the chapter on a remarkable association with NSW and the Sydney Sixers. A founding Sixers player and two-time WBBL champion, she ends her Big Bash career among the competition’s elite, with over 3,000 runs and a place in the WBBL Team of the Decade.

Alyssa Healy career numbers

Tests 10* | Runs 489 | Ave 30.56 | HS 99 | 50s 3 | Ct 22 | St 2
ODIs 123* | Runs 3563 | Ave 35.98 | SR 99.72 | HS 170 | 100s 7 | 50s 18 | Ct 85 | St 38
T20Is 162 | Runs 3054 | Ave 25.45 | SR 129.79 | HS 148no | 100s 1 | 50s 17 | Ct 65 | St 63
WBBL 129 matches | Runs 3125 | Ave 25.82 | SR 133.71 | HS 112no | 100s 5 | 50s 15 | Ct 60 | St 45

Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg hailed her impact, describing Healy as “one of the all-time greats” whose influence has reshaped the women’s game both on and off the field.

Australia now face the dual challenge of replacing a generational wicketkeeper-batter and appointing a new captain ahead of a World Cup year. While Beth Mooney is primed to take over the gloves, leadership succession remains open, with Tahlia McGrath, Ashleigh Gardner and Phoebe Litchfield among the contenders.

For now, Healy’s focus is firmly on one final challenge. “I’ve still got some fight left in me to beat India,” she said. “Wearing the Baggy Green again is special.”

As she prepares for her final walk onto the field, Alyssa Healy leaves behind more than records and trophies. She exits as a trailblazer, a match-winner, and one of the defining figures of modern women’s cricket, having helped elevate the game to heights few could have imagined when she first donned the green and gold in 2010.

Australia v India multi-format series 2025-26: