T20 World Cup: Alyssa Healy says players calm, relaxed ahead of huge MCG clash
Australia’s gun batter Alyssa Healy says the T20 World Cup final at the MCG, which could set the world record attendance of any women’s sporting fixture, is a “chance to create our own iconic moments”.
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Australian opener Alyssa Healy says it will be unfamiliar territory walking out in front of a packed MCG.
“I’ve played a lot here, normally in front of a very empty stadium. When you clap you can hear the echo around,” she said ahead of Sunday’s T20 World Cup final against India.
Healy said she had one standout memory of being part of a fired-up full house at the MCG.
Her husband Mitchell Starc brought 91,000 fans to their feet when he castled New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum in the first over of the 2015 men’s One Day World Cup final.
“I remember sitting there in the stands and the roar when he bowled McCullum, it was something I’ve never experienced before. I never thought I would get to have that experience. To have that opportunity is going to be pretty cool.
“I don’t think I can bowl a leftarm inswinger but it would be nice to go out there and, not replicate what the boys did, but have our own moment and showcase what we can do on a cricket field and show the world how far the women’s game has come and create our own iconic moments, I hope.”
The MCG clash could set the world record attendance of any women’s sporting fixture.
As of Friday night more than 75,000 tickets had been sold for the final, meaning it will be the biggest female sporting event staged in Australia.
If the crowd exceeds 90,185 it will break the world record.
Healy said the team was relaxed about that prospect but admitted “come Sunday afternoon I’m sure a few nerves will flutter”.
“It’s a funny feeling at the moment, there’s such a sense of calm around our group, with us thinking we weren’t going to get on at all (in Thursday night’s rain-interrupted semi-final), to get out there and play really calmed the group.
“I think it’s just excitement more than anything else. I know personally I’m still sort of buzzing after Thursday night. There’s a general excitement around the group being given the opportunity to play in front of such an amazing crowd at such an iconic sporting stadium.”
Healy said the team had been buoyed by the strong support in their matches so far.
“I felt like this tournament was always going to be something a lot bigger than just cricket itself. With the focus on how many people are coming to the games and obviously this final and breaking a record, it was just going to be a really exciting event. To see people embrace the different women’s sporting codes around the country is really exciting. I think it’s going to be the start of a real change in this country and hopefully, we can get a win. But if not, it’s just going to be a really exciting day.”
Pace bowler Delissa Kimmince said she didn’t have much MCG experience to draw on.
She has played one game at the venue, 10 years ago, in front of a crowd of about 20 people.
But she said the hype of the huge crowd was not creating any extra nerves.
“I feel like the group is quite relaxed and we’re looking forward to it now. The hardest part was getting here and now we’ve got here it’s just a time for our group to really enjoy it and go out there and entertain the fans that showed up,” she said.
Kimmince said the tension of Thursday night’s win gave the side an added sense of relief qualifying for the final.
“I think we all couldn’t really believe what had just happened after obviously the few days with rain and there was a lot of talk about if it would be washed out or whatnot but everyone’s just excited,” she said.
“There were a lot of hurdles we had to face to get to this point in time, losing to India and then we had the scare against Sri Lanka. But we fought back really well and got ourselves into a position where, now the 8th of March is here, we’ll actually be out there. It’s quite an exciting moment.”
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Originally published as T20 World Cup: Alyssa Healy says players calm, relaxed ahead of huge MCG clash