Alyssa Healy hopes that her defining legacy will be about how much she cared for the game and not just her batting exploits as she calls time on a 16-year international career.
There’s something about the retiring captain playing her last cricket for Australia on International Women’s Day, with the Test against India finishing on the third afternoon.
Six years ago, on this very day, she had a starring role in a game that changed the trajectory of women’s cricket. But alongside the on-field achievements, her use of her profile to push for positive change has had a remarkable impact on the women’s game.
It is the thought that she leaves the game in a better place for the next generation of players that Healy says she is the proudest of as she hangs up her boots.
Even when she faced the media for the final time as the Australian captain, having just led her side to a memorable Test win at the WACA Ground, Healy used the platform to make a case for more opportunities for women to play the longer format.
“It hit me today when Lucy Hamilton walks in the change room and says, ‘I think Test cricket’s my favourite format’,” Healy said. “That there’s a 19-year-old kid who gets to understand her bowling and how to set up a batter.
“You got some young kids opening the batting that are learning how to set up an innings in tricky conditions.
“These are things that Test cricket offers our players, and the ability to increase your skill level over long periods of time is only going to do wonders for the game.
“The more and more we see (it) come into the game, and more and more oppositions that stick their hand up and want to be a part of it, it’s only going to benefit them as well.
“So, I think it’s really useful and hopefully we see a lot more of it coming through, coming forward … I don’t know what the number is, I’ll leave that to the powers that be, with all the cash, and they can work that out.”
But while the multi-day games are the ultimate test of the skills, T20 cricket has become the biggest crowd-puller, which in turn, is an important indicator of the growth of the women’s game since its professionalisation.
The 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Final that pulled a crowd of 86,174 – the biggest-ever for a women’s sporting event in Australia at the time – was an important milestone in that regard.
Healy’s player of the match-winning knock of 75 off 39 was a dominant display that blew India away to create life-long memories for the home crowd and made her the face of the next phase of women’s cricket, which was now being recognised as a profitably marketable entity.
When asked how she thinks that game has shaped the future of women’s cricket, Healy did not limit herself to the impact on Australian cricket.
“I just think the women’s game just keeps going bigger and better, the skill level is continuing to rise,” she said, “simply because of opportunities for players to play around the world and be fully professional athletes.”
“You look at the Indian team, the depth that they’ve got in their squads now, that they didn’t have that that long ago, and the opportunities through the WPL to discover new players is amazing.
Healy, in fact, had long advocated for other countries to start a WBBL-like league to create more competitive opportunities for women.
But with her vocal advocacy and uninhibition to call a spade a spade, Healy often ruffled a few feathers and became an at-times misunderstood personality.
“Sometimes you stick your neck out there and it gets cut off pretty quickly, but I think you always want to leave the game in a better place than where you found it,” Healy said.
“I feel like I’ve been able to do that.
“Whether it’s right or wrong, I’m not sure, but feel like I’ve played a really small part in continuing to grow this sport and make it better for the young players coming through, and I think that’s probably what I’ll be most proud of.”
Her willingness to be the voice that spoke up for the things that matter despite the scrutiny it often attracted made her a highly respected figure among teammates even before she took up the Australian captaincy.
The word ‘larrikin’ has been thrown around a lot to describe Healy by those who have known her closely over her career and teammates have made it a point to bring up her off-field leadership when asked about her legacy.
“The girls are now looking back at her career and even what she’s done more recently, and going, ‘wow, she’s had such an impact on cricket in Australia, but also women’s cricket and women’s sport in general,” Phoebe Litchfield, Healy’s opening partner of the last few years, said last month.
“She’s pushed for us and also led from the front, both when she was a leader, but also (when) just a player.”
Healy is pleased to see this acknowledgement of her intentional effort to leave the game in a better place.
“They’re just things that I believe in, I’m passionate about, and I care a lot about not just my teammates and everyone around me, but the game as a whole,” she said.
“I guess for people to maybe see that was really cool experience for me to go ‘actually, you know, I’ve done it for the right reasons.'”
The 35-year-old hopes this is what the broader cricketing community will also remember her for.
“I hope that’s some part of my legacy,” she told Channel Seven after Australia secured the win.
“Opening the batting and smashing fours and sixes might come into play, but I think the greater good of the game, I hope I have played a certain part in that, and hopefully young players can really benefit from that.”
NRMA Insurance Australia v India Multi-Format Series
Australia win the multi-format series 12-4
February 15: First T20: India won by 21 runs (DLS)
February 19: Second T20: Australia won by 19 runs
February 21: Third T20: India won by 17 runs
February 24: First ODI: Australia won by six wickets
February 27: Second ODI: Australia won by five wickets
March 1: Third ODI: Australia won by 185 runs
Test match: Australia won by 10 wickets
