Australian cricketer Alyssa Healy who once set a Guinness Record set to retire

Dubai: Australian women’s cricket team captain Alyssa Healy has announced her retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a distinguished career ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.

Healy confirmed that her final international assignment will be the upcoming home series against India, beginning on February 15. She revealed the decision on the Willow Talk podcast, describing it as a difficult but necessary step.

“Officially coming out today, that you hear this, actually retiring from cricket at the end of the Indian series. Not an easy decision, but it had to be made at some point,” Healy said.

Explaining her decision, the wicketkeeper-batter cited ongoing injuries and mental fatigue. “It’s been a long time coming. The last few years have probably been more mentally draining than anything else. A few injuries — I’ve had to keep dipping into the well, and it’s getting less and less full. It’s getting harder to dive back in,” she added.

Over her career, Healy featured in 123 One-Day Internationals for Australia, scoring 3,563 runs at an average of 35.98, including seven centuries and 18 half-centuries. Behind the stumps in ODIs, she accounted for 85 catches and 38 stumpings.

In Test cricket, Healy played 10 matches, amassing 489 runs at an average of 30.56, with three half-centuries to her name. In T20 Internationals, she appeared in 162 matches, scoring 3,054 runs at an average of 25.45, including one century and 17 fifties. As a wicketkeeper in the shortest format, she completed 65 catches and 63 stumpings.

Healy also enjoyed a prolific Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) career, playing 129 matches and scoring 3,125 runs at an average of 25.82, with five centuries and 15 half-centuries.

Last year, Healy added another remarkable achievement to her resume by setting a Guinness World Record for the highest catch of a cricket ball. She successfully completed an 82.5-metre-high catch at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), surpassing the previous record of 62 metres set by Kristan Baumgartner in the United Kingdom in 2016.

The ICC T20 International Player of the Year in 2018, Healy shared the record-breaking moment on social media, writing: “The irony that it was me under the high ball was not lost … Was a fun morning and a pretty cool experience!”

With her retirement, Australian cricket bids farewell to one of its most influential players and finest wicketkeeper-batters.