Alyssa Healthy is not putting an end date on her international career, just yet. The Australian skipper has said that the upcoming Women's ODI World Cup 2025 in India may not be her final chapter. While there has been some personal reflection in recent months, Healy said she is feeling the urge to play through the next home summer as well.
The last few months have not been smooth sailing for the veteran wicket-keeper. A stress fracture in her foot has kept her out of action since January. She also missed important matches such as the T20 World Cup final last year. She did not feature in the New Zealand ODIs and Women's Premier League (WPL) in India.
However, she is now ready to make a comeback. She has been picked in the Australia A squad to face India A in August. With the ODI World Cup looming, Alyssa Healy is targeting peak fitness and form to make a full impact in the tournament.
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Alyssa Healy Keen to Extend Career Beyond ODI World Cup, Sets Sights on Home Summer
Healy admitted that her outlook on cricket has changed slightly in recent months and her competitive fire still burns bright. While she is not chasing captaincy milestones, her primary goal remains to win another ODI World Cup for Australia and play through the home summer as well.
"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 are a little bit more important than pulling on the green and gold. So it's just a constant reassess. 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]," Healy said as quoted to AAP.
While Healy is not clinging to the captaincy as a personal milestone, she made it clear that her main motivation is to win the ODI World Cup.
"It's not so much about the captaincy [driving me], or ticking one more box. It's just that I want to win a World Cup for Australia, and no one has gone back-to-back, which is a real motivator," she added.
She also acknowledged the physical toll of ODI cricket and emphasised the importance of managing her workload leading into the World Cup.
"According to science, the ODI World Cups is one of the heaviest loads that we go through as cricketers. My aim is to play every game of that World Cup. So to make sure I can do that's important," Healy concluded.
Alyssa Healy Aims to Defend ODI World Cup Title
With Australia seeking to defend their ODI title in India later this year and a have a blockbuster home summer that includes multi-format series against India in February-March, Healy is hoping to be part of both challenges.
For now, the 35-year-old is keeping her options open. She is not ready to walk away just yet.
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