Alyssa Healy will put her revamped wicketkeeping technique to the test against India A next month as she prepares for the upcoming World Cup
Alyssa Healy hopes the technical tweaks she has made during Australia’s long preseason will allow her to stay on the park – and behind the stumps – throughout the upcoming ODI World Cup and home summer of cricket.
The Australia captain endured a torrid run of injuries through the 2024-25 season, missing the semi-final of last year’s T20 World Cup with a foot injury, while a knee complaint ended her WBBL season prematurely.
Those issues continued throughout the summer, with Healy also missing an ODI series against India last December, the T20I leg of the Ashes in January and March’s T20I tour of New Zealand as she looked to overcome her foot injury, while she was restricted to playing as a specialist batter in the day-night Ashes Test at the MCG.
The 35-year-old was concerned she would need to give up the gloves, having pinpointed the demands of wicketkeeping as the major driver behind her injuries.
But after spending the past few months adjusting her movements behind the stumps, Healy has renewed confidence as she prepares to play her first competitive match since January when she lines up for Australia A against India A in Mackay next week.
“I haven’t actually kept in a competitive game since January and that’s given me a little bit of time to tinker with a few things and make it a little bit easier on my body,” Healy told reporters in Sydney on Thursday as the unveiling of Cricket Australia’s new four-year partnership with Westpac.
“We’ve been taught how to wicketkeep a certain way in this country for an extended period of time, and at the end of the day it’s not overly efficient on our bodies and doing it at 35, it’s not ideal.
“We’ve just been looking at ways to make it a little bit easier for my aging joints and trying to keep things moving the way they should.
“Without getting overly technical, (I’ve just adjusted) where I’m starting from, more than anything else.
“You won’t notice anything different, just not getting as low as what I used to, to hopefully help the knee, help the foot and keep me out there a little bit longer.”
Healy will feature in the T20 and one-day legs of the ‘A’ series in Queensland as she prepares for Australia’s upcoming World Cup defence in India.
She will be joined by her deputy Tahlia McGrath and quicks Kim Garth and Darcie Brown for the 50-over matches, while the remainder of their fit and available Australian teammates are overseas playing in The Hundred.
Healy won’t take the gloves for the three 20-over matches in Mackay, playing as a specialist bat under skipper Nicole Faltum, but she will be behind the stumps for the three one-dayers in Brisbane that will follow.
“I’ll get a red hot crack at it in the ODI fixtures in that A series, so I’ll get a better look at how things are working,” she said.
“But my goal is to be there and playing in the World Cup as a wicketkeeper, so hopefully that pans out.”
Australia hope to become the first women’s team to win back-to-back ODI World Cups since Sharon Tredrea’s team completed a three-peat in 1988, but standing in their way will be hosts India, who recently completed a dominant tour of England, winning the T20I series 3-2 and the ODIs 2-1.
“I wouldn’t write England off just yet, I think they will find a groove under Lottie (Charlotte Edwards),” Healy said.
“But I think the way that India are playing, at home in those conditions, they are going to be really tough to beat.”
Westpac have become Cricket Australia’s principal partner as part of a new four-year agreement, which will support cricket’s growth across all levels of the game.
Westpac’s logo will feature on the shirts of the Australian men’s and women’s teams for all matches played in Australia across Test, One-Day and T20 formats, as well as Australia A and Under-19s.
The partnership will also provide opportunities for women and girls on and off the field, support initiatives aiding local clubs, volunteers and communities, and build on projects that ensure cricket is a sport for all.
