Women’s cricketer Alyssa Healy counts down to a ton of commitment to the national side
Australia’s Alyssa Healy is about to bring about a big milestone as her team prepares to take on Sri Lanka in a T20 series.
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Alyssa Healy is days away from becoming just the second Australian to play 100 Twenty20 internationals, but what’s sweeter is she’s found her cricketing sweet spot.
Australia take on Sri Lanka in the first of three internationals on Sunday at North Sydney Oval, and provided Healy gets through unscathed, she will bring up her personal ton on Monday night.
Ellyse Perry is the only Australian cricketer — male or female — to have played 100 T20 internationals. Healy’s rise to join her illustrates the intrinsic role she has played in the Southern Stars set-up since debuting nearly a decade ago.
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Australia are firmly in build-up mode for their World Cup defence on home soil early next year, and the stunning form the reigning Belinda Clark medallist showed to power her side to glory at the last cup has shown no sign of abating 12 months on.
Healy admits she has even shocked herself with the consistency she has mastered, age 29.
“It’s surprised me a little bit in that consistency hasn’t really been a real strong point of mine throughout my career but I guess it’s pleasing from that point of view to see it has continued,” she said.
“It comes with being comfortable where I am now and knowing that I’m at the top of the order.
“With a huge six to eight months coming up I really want to make sure that continues and I can put our team in a really good position to win games of cricket.
“I think I’ve just matured into my cricket a little bit more and I’ve stopped focusing a lot on what the bowlers are going to throw at me and instead just thinking about my game in itself and where are the areas I want to hit and where are the areas I potentially don’t want to hit on certain wickets and certain grounds.
“I’ve been doing that a lot better over the last 12-18 months and that’s been a real key. Bringing the focus reel back into a small focus and that shift has been important.”
Healy was presented with a cake to honour her 100th game the other day, but like all batters is a little superstitious about being stranded on 99.
She says her biggest evolution over the century of matches is as a leader.
“It’s definitely making me feel a little bit older that’s for sure,” she said.
“We’d be lying if we said we weren’t thinking about the World Cup … we should be comfortable coming into a home World Cup but obviously the extra pressure and expectation (is there).”
Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Rachael Haynes, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham.