Alyssa Healy, the cricketer's cricketer, calls time on a career that defined an era

PL reports on Alyssa Healy's impending retirement and the PM's call out

Alyssa Healy takes questions after announcing her impending retirement

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was addressing some difficult topics at a press conference on Tuesday morning, not least of them the introduction of hate speech legislation and a national day of mourning for the Bondi victims, but even among such weighty affairs of state, including the reisgnation of the US ambassador, there was room to address the news that Australian cricket captain Alyssa Healy was set to retire.

Here's some of the transcript for context:

JOURNALIST: Scott Morrison has good ties with the Trump Administration, would you consider appointing him? And could I get your reflections on Alyssa Healy’s career?

PRIME MINISTER: Look, we’ll make decisions down the track about the right person with the right skills and the right skills to be able to reach across a broad spectrum of support. That was something that Kevin Rudd was able to do. I remember speaking to him when he was at both the Democrat and the Republican conventions. I must say, Kevin’s advice and analysis, he was expecting the outcome that came, but he had an extraordinary capacity to work across the spectrum. So one of the things we’ll be looking for is someone with those personal skills as well as experience in foreign affairs.

Alyssa Healy is a legend. She has had such an incredible career playing for Australia and leading Australia. The rise of women’s cricket, which has in parallel seen a rise of other women’s sports, is a great thing. When I was trying to play cricket, do my best is the best that you could say - and rugby league for that matter. The idea that huge crowds such were there at the World Cup final that I attended at the MCG would watch women’s team sport was something that wouldn’t have been anticipated. It is a fantastic team that she has led. She not only is a great player, she will also, I’m sure, continue to evolve. I think she’s a great cricket commentator. I think, you know, my two favourite commentators are both women, one from Australia, one from England at the moment, I think are just outstanding. And we certainly wish Alyssa all the very best.

Alyssa Healy retires as one of the greats of Australian cricket. A pioneer of the new professional era, yes, a player of world standing, also, but the outgoing wicketkeeper-captain is in some ways more than the sum of her parts.

Her husband, Mitchell Starc, might have been hogging the spotlight over the summer, but in that relationship, only one party can boast of eight successful World Campaigns.

Healy was part of teams that won the Women's T20 World Cup in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023 and the ODI World Cup in 2013 and 2022. The wicketkeeper batter was also ICC's T20I Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and 2019.

She made her Test debut at the age of 19 in 2010. She will play the three ODIs and the Test match against India in February-March, but is stepping down from the T20 side in order to let someone else prepare for the World Cup in England later in the year. Healy scored more than 3500 runs in 123 ODIs and over 3000 in 162 T20Is and holds the record for the highest score by a full member player (148no) and most dismissals in that format.