Alyssa Healy eyes home summer after 2025 ODI World Cup

Australia’s women’s captain, Alyssa Healy, has quashed any talk of the 2025 ODI World Cup being her last dance, stating her desire to continue playing after the marquee event. After a tough year with constant injuries, Healy is now eyeing a strong comeback, not just to lead Australia’s title defence in India, but also to feature in the home summer that follows.

The 35-year-old last played in January during the Women’s Ashes Test, where she featured as a pure batter due to a stress fracture in her foot, denying her chance to keep wicket. This injury, along with a prior knee issue, ruled her out of major tournaments like the WBBL, the ODI series in New Zealand, and the Women’s Premier League in India.

“It’s probably shifted a little bit. It’s made me realise that I still want to do a little bit more than maybe what I thought. At the same time, sometimes there’s stuff in life that is a little bit more important than pulling on the green and gold. So it’s just a constant reassess. But at the moment, I want to play a home summer. I want to bring the World Cup home, but also to play against India (in February-March),” Healy said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

The Australia A series against India A in August is set to mark Healy’s return to action, as she is preparing to come back to full match fitness ahead of the ODI World Cup in October-November. She has been included in both the one-day and T20 squads, with Tahlia McGrath leading the 50-over format.

Healy has not kept wickets in a match since January

“But at the moment, I definitely want to play a home summer. I want to bring the World Cup home, but also to play against India (in February-March),” he added.

Australia are looking to become the first team since 1988 to win back-to-back ODI World Cups. Since Meg Lanning’s retirement in 2023, Healy has spent her time and energy on guiding a new side to another title. Interestingly, Healy has not kept wickets in a match since January, but is confident of her workload management.