Australia captain Alyssa Healy has announced her shock retirement from international cricket, confirming that the upcoming multi-format home series against India will mark the end of her illustrious 16-year career. The 35-year-old revealed the news on Tuesday during an appearance on the Willow Talk podcast, where she admitted she has been quietly considering stepping away for several months.
Healy explained that while her love for representing Australia remains strong, the competitive edge that once drove her has begun to fade. That realisation ultimately helped her make peace with a difficult decision.
“It’s with mixed emotions that the upcoming India series will be my last for Australia,” Alyssa Healy said. “I’m still passionate about playing for my country, but I’ve lost a bit of that edge that kept me pushing myself every day. It just feels like the right time now.”
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The Australian skipper also opened up about the mental and physical toll elite sport has taken on her in recent years. A string of injuries and the relentless pressure of international cricket have made it harder to maintain the same intensity she once thrived on.
“The last few seasons have been more mentally draining than anything else. It’s getting tougher to keep going back to the well when it’s not as full as it used to be,” she admitted.
‘If I had fought my way through to the World Cup, that’s not doing the right thing by my teammates and the country as well to half-arse that opportunity’ 👏
Alyssa Healy you legend 🫡
#cricket #legend pic.twitter.com/KbmNw5B3WX— Kayo Sports (@kayosports) January 13, 2026
By the time she plays her final match, Healy will have appeared in nearly 300 internationals, scoring more than 7,000 runs across formats. Behind the stumps, she has been just as impactful, completing 275 dismissals since making her debut in 2010. A long-time vice-captain under Meg Lanning, Healy took over the leadership role in 2023 and quickly stamped her authority, most memorably guiding Australia to a dominant 16-0 whitewash of England in a historic Ashes series.
Nobody did it like Alyssa Healy ❤️🥹 pic.twitter.com/wwvtxhIX6f
— Australian Women’s Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) January 13, 2026
Healy’s trophy cabinet is as impressive as her numbers. She has been part of eight ICC World Cup-winning squads, holds the record for the highest individual score in a Women’s World Cup final, and boasts the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in women’s T20Is. Her individual honours include the Belinda Clark Award in 2019 and two ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year titles. She also played a crucial role in Australia’s gold-medal triumph at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
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Her final appearance for Australia will be the one-off Test against India in Perth from March 6 to 9, a fitting farewell on home soil. Interestingly, her retirement announcement comes just months after she went unsold at the WPL 2026 auction, a surprising twist for a player of her stature. After more than a decade and a half at the top, Alyssa Healy will walk away as one of the most influential wicketkeeper-batters the women’s game has ever seen.
