Former Aussie captain’s retirement means the Sixers need to find a new full-time wicketkeeper this summer
Sydney Sixers will make recruiting a wicketkeeper one of their first orders of business when the Big Bash contracting embargo lifts, as they begin life after retired great Alyssa Healy.
Healy’s departure has left the Sixers with one of the competition’s biggest holes to fill ahead of Weber WBBL|12, given the foundation player’s influence as a destructive opener, wicketkeeper and senior figure across more than a decade in magenta.
The former Australian captain played 129 WBBL matches for the Sixers, scoring 3,125 runs with five centuries and 15 half-centuries, while also finishing with 60 catches and 45 stumpings. Her retirement in March ended an era for the two-time champions, but not her involvement with the club.
Sixers general manager Rachael Haynes said Healy remained closely connected to list discussions as the club worked through its plans ahead of the league-wide signing freeze being lifted.
“I was chatting to her over text; she’s still well and truly engaged in the club and lists and those things,” Haynes said.
“It is a priority to make sure we’ve got gloves behind the stumps, and then obviously we can work on the flexibility of our squad from there.
“We’ve been chatting to a couple of players, and it’ll be high on our list when that embargo lifts.”
The keeping position looms as a key decision for new coach Peter Clarke and one that could influence the balance of their XI.
Healy’s ability to combine top-order power with elite keeping meant the Sixers rarely had to compromise elsewhere, a luxury that is difficult to replace in one signing.
Emma Manix-Geeves, who has stood in behind the stumps when Healy was injured last season, is currently out of contract and Haynes indicated the club could also test the overseas market to find a wicketkeeper this season.
Sixers list for WBBL|12 (so far): Caoimhe Bray, Maitlan Brown, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Elsa Hunter, Melie Kerr (New Zealand), Ellyse Perry, Courtney Sippel
Outs: Alyssa Healy (retired)
Off contract: Erin Burns, Mathilda Carmichael, Lauren Kua, Emma Manix-Geeves
The lifting of this year’s contracting embargo has been delayed by the uncertainty around privatisation and its impact on the contracting structure, with a return to direct overseas player signings rather than a draft likely this season.
“We’re working through what the contracting model looks like for this season,” league boss Alistair Dobson said earlier this month. “The way our overseas players are contracted into the WBBL and BBL are a really important part of that.
“There’s lots of movement in different parts of the sport at the moment and the club player market is one of those.”
The Sixers have boasted a stable core since the competition’s inception with Aussie stars Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner part of the squad alongside Healy since WBBL|01, with the latter’s retirement representing one of their most significant list changes since the league began.
