Australian captain Alyssa Healy says the timing is perfect for her to retire from cricket in March, with the great wicketkeeper-batter to make her swansong in the upcoming home series against India.
Healy has been a mainstay of the national team for 15 years, making her debut as a teenager, and has been full-time captain since Meg Lanning retired in 2023.
But the 35-year-old told reporters in Sydney on Tuesday she has been ready to retire for three months, after realising her competitive drive was gradually ebbing away.
“Every contest I wanted to be a part of and wanted to compete and it’s probably drained me a bit more over the years,” Healy said.
“The opportunity to finish at home is something I really wanted to do.”
Her final match is set to be the sole Test of the series against India in Perth from March 6-9.
Healy insisted the prospect of stepping away was not worrying her and instead was looking forward to a rousing send-off.
“When it comes to retirement, it’s quite daunting for a lot of people, but standing here right now, I’m really excited,” she said.
The toll of repeatedly coming back from injuries was getting harder as her career wore on.
Persevering through to the T20 World Cup, in England in June-July, would not have felt right while she was lacking some of her drive.
“We’re able to take the group and lead this next generation into doing their own thing,” Healy said.
Expanding a burgeoning media career could also be on the cards for Healy, who has proven one of the most popular commentators this summer for Fox Cricket alongside co-hosting her popular podcast.
She has previously mentioned her desire to start a family with her husband, fellow cricketer Mitchell Starc, but on Tuesday was non-committal about her immediate plans.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a lot of opportunities outside of the game in the last 12 to 18 months,” she said.
“But I still feel like I can contribute to the game … it’s given me so much and I still owe a lot to cricket.”
Healy will finish with more than 7000 international runs and 275 dismissals to her name.
She is likely to end her career on 299 international matches after ruling out participating in the T20 games against India so as not to impact World Cup preparations, where Australia will have a new captain.
Ashleigh Gardner and Tahlia McGrath are the main contenders to replace Healy as skipper, with Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland and Phoebe Litchfield other options.
The Queenslander was awarded the 2019 Belinda Clark Award and was twice named ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year.
Alongside Lanning and Ellyse Perry, Healy was one of the key leaders of Australia’s all-conquering era who took the women’s game to new heights.
She was player of the final in the Australia’s 2022 ODI World Cup triumph and also played in six T20 World Cup-winning campaigns.
“Alyssa is one of the all-time greats of the game and has made an immeasurable contribution both on and off the field over her 15-year career,” said Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg.
“On behalf of Australian Cricket, I’d like to thank Alyssa and congratulate her on an incredible career that has inspired so many and changed the game for the better.”