England spared a nudie run – but is Alyssa Healy on her last lap?

All-conquering Australian skipper is likely on the last lap of her international cricket career as family life beckons.

Where was the nudie run? Sixteen-nil was embarrassing enough. England was spared the grand Australian tradition of getting your kit off and doing a lap of the precinct for failing to get off the mark. The rules might’ve been stricter at a Friday night pool comp. We’ll let this one pass.

Gut feeling in the aftermath of the Ashes rout? Alyssa Healy has one summer to go. She turns 35 next month. Family beckons. Her significant other, Mitchell Starc, and all male athletes are unspeakably fortunate in this regard.

Little bundles of joy can be brought into the world without the blokes missing a single training session, although Pat Cummins has skipped a tour. The fairer sex has no such luxury. Look at Roger Federer. Four kids and he didn’t miss a tournament.

Alyssa Healy of Australia poses with the Ashes trophy after her side defeated England in the Test at the MCG Picture: Getty Images

A story doing the rounds in Sydney a few years ago was that Healy was on the cusp of an extended break, perhaps retirement, to become a mum. Then women’s cricket went bonkers with opportunities and financial rewards, the Australian captaincy beckoned and regardless, she loves the sport like she loves a chucklesome sledge.

Healy was always going to be skipper for a short and good time. She’s as likeable as Ash Barty. A cheerful and uncomplicated character, and a naturally gifted and entertaining athlete, and she will be missed when she goes.

Just a hunch that it might be close. She plans to lead Australia to the World Cup in India in September and then … who knows?

When she was asked after the MCG Test if she imagined contesting the 2026 Ashes series in England, she didn’t say yes. Which sounded like a probable no.

“I’ve got some thoughts in the back of my mind about what it looks like for me moving forward,” Healy said after Australia won the Test by an innings and 122 runs to retain the Ashes 16-0.

England captain Heather Knight looks on dejectedly after her side lost all seven matches of the multi-format Ashes series Picture: Getty Images

“Most importantly, when I took on this role, I wanted to get us to that ODI World Cup. Get us into a really great place as a group, playing some really good cricket, and to hold that trophy at the end of it. That was what I said in my four-point PowerPoint plan to present my case as to why I could be captain.

“What I’ve really enjoyed over the last 18 months, two years of doing the job is what we’ve been able to achieve and how the group’s come such a long way.

“To have played a little bit of a role in helping drive that has been really cool.

“We’ll wait and see what the ­future looks like.“

Healy’s navigated a horror run of injuries since her pet dogs, Misty and Millie, conspired to give her a terrible bite to the finger that ruined her 2023-24 WBBL season.

She’s had knee and foot problems – the latter being stress fractures that will rule her out of this month’s Women’s Premier League in India.

Alyssa Healy is helped from the field after injuring her foot in the T20 World Cup in Dubai last year Picture: Getty Images

“Unfortunately for me, I’ve got a couple of months feet-up,“ she said. “I’m pretty bummed by that, but at the same time elated to have a little bit of downtime and try and get my body right. I’m looking forward to sticking my feet in an ice bucket.”

Sixteen-nil. Absolute dominance. Please explain? Healy referenced the shock loss to South Africa in the semi-finals of last year’s T20 World Cup

“We weren’t disappointed that we didn’t win the World Cup,” she said. “We were disappointed in the way we lost it. That was the kick up the bum we needed to keep getting better and take the game on. We’ve got a lot of depth in this squad. If somebody doesn’t come off one day, you’ve got your mate right behind you who can do it for you. I genuinely believe this side can achieve anything.

“It’s just whether we back ourselves to do it.”

Asked to elaborate, Healy said: “Just knowing how good this squad is … let’s use one another, get to know one another, first and foremost, connect better and utilise that on the field. The trust and connection.

Healy, right, and English spinner Sophie Ecclestone, during her stint as skipper of the UP Warriorz in the Women’s Premier League. The lucrative Indian tournament has helped extend Healy’s career Picture: Getty Images

“It’s a really cool environment to be part of at the moment. Everyone gets along really, really well and I feel like connection – it’s such a buzzword but we try to utilise that. We’re good mates off the field. How can we help each other on the field even more and get the best out of one another?

“That’s been the biggest thing we speak about. You’ve got 10 of your mates alongside you that can help you and encourage you to do the best you can.

“It’s been a really frustrating probably 18 months for me,” Healy said.

“You get yourself right, back playing, and something else goes wrong.

“I’m going to have a look at a couple of things and how I can be better, maybe a bit more disciplined in some areas, and make sure I’m right to go for that ODI World Cup.”

Sixteen-nil! A whacking. A shellacking. Nudie run! Perhaps England was in too much of a hurry to get to the airport.

Australia dominated despite having less support staff than their English rivals Picture: Getty Images

Asked for advice to the beaten, bruised and beleaguered tourists, Healy replied: “Aw, that’s a really hard question to answer. I’m not sure. I still think that England side is a really good one, sitting in the dressing room – you look at the calibre they’ve got on the park. There’s matchwinners, right, within that squad.

“I don’t want to throw any advice their way. I don’t really know what’s gone wrong.”

I’ll take a stab at it. The naked truth: deplorable fielding, only five truly world-class players and the sense of a splintered group.

None of the connection Healy spoke about.

“I think they’ll sit back and reflect on ‘what could we have done better?’,” Healy added,

“How could we have taken the game away from Australia at times? Simply look at our side of things, it felt like every single time England might have just been in the game, one of our players stepped up and shut the door really quickly. If you look at that approach, then maybe how can they do that as well?”