After the forthcoming multi-format home series against India in February and March of 2026, Australian women’s captain Alyssa Healy has declared her intention to retire from all forms of international cricket. Alyssa Healy, one of the most renowned athletes in women’s sports history, will retire after a 16-year international career.
During a visit on the Willow Talk podcast, where she discussed the game’s physical and mental demands, Alyssa Healy affirmed her choice. Australia will have a new captain going into the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup thanks to her statement. Alyssa Healy will captain Australia in the ODIs before playing her final game in the one-off day-night Test at the WACA in Perth from March 6 to 9. She will miss the T20I leg of the India series to give the team time to get ready for the World Cup.
Alyssa Healy acknowledged that the past few years had been mentally taxing.
Her momentum was impacted by injuries, particularly one she suffered during the ODI World Cup, which made it more difficult for her to keep up the competitive edge. She clarified that, with Australia’s short preparation time, pushing herself till the T20 World Cup would not have been fair to her teammates.
The fact that the forthcoming India series will be my final appearance for Australia fills me with conflicted feelings. I still enjoy playing for my country, but I don’t think I have the same competitive spirit that has motivated me for so long. It seems like the ideal time. I’m not going to the T20 World Cup this year, and I won’t play in the Twenty20 matches against India because of the team’s short preparation time.
However, I’m thrilled to cap the ODI and Test teams at home in one of the most important series on our schedule as I wrap off my career. I will truly miss my teammates, stepping out to open the batting for Australia and singing the team song. “I’m thankful for one final series in the green and gold, and representing my country has been an amazing honour,” Healy remarked.
The player with the most T20I dismissals in both men’s and women’s cricket is Alyssa Healy.
Healy made her debut as a 19-year-old in 2010, marking the start of her international career. She has since participated in 11 Tests, 126 ODIs, and 162 T20Is, amassing more over 7,000 runs in all formats. She is notable for having the most dismissals in T20Is for both men’s and women’s cricket, as well as the highest individual score (148*) by a player from a Full Member nation.
Healy, meantime, played a key part in Australia’s gold medal success at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and was a member of eight ICC World Cup-winning teams, six T20 World Cups, and two ODI World Cups. In addition to being awarded ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and 2019, she received the Belinda Clark Award in 2019.
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