Alyssa Healy is eager to lead Australia into what seems to be the most competitive period of women’s cricket, with the T20 World Cup perhaps being the most open ever, after being reaffirmed as the team’s new permanent captain.
In Bangladesh in September and October of next year, Australia will be the defending champions and heavy favorites, but a number of outcomes during the past six months indicate that the gap between the elite teams and the developing ones is narrowing.
While Bangladesh has drew with South Africa and taken a game off India, Sri Lanka has defeated England, Pakistan has triumphed over South Africa and New Zealand, and Australia was pushed very hard by the West Indies early in the season before Hayley Matthews pulled off a memorable victory at North Sydney Oval.
It’s quite thrilling. Winning a World Cup is no easy feat. Though they may not appear to be for us, they are,” Healy remarked. “If you look closely at those World Cups, you’ll see that we had difficulty throughout the competition, but we were able to prevail in stressful circumstances and cross the finish line.
“I have no doubt that our group will face significant challenges next year in Bangladesh, which is a very strange place for many. And it is what makes the upcoming year so exciting. On Wednesday, we leave for India and prepare in subcontinental weather. Next year, we will travel to Bangladesh for a bilateral series for the first time. It seems like a really exciting opportunity to learn more about myself and our group of players, and it feels like a tremendous challenge to me.”
Healy is also sure she can manage the responsibilities of wicketkeeper, opening batsman (in white-ball cricket), and captain. She acknowledged that there was more demand than she had anticipated during the Ashes in England earlier this year, but she thinks she has learned from the experience.
“I’ve had a taste of it over the last 12 months and I think I can do it,” she stated. This year, I’ve had three pre-seasons, so I’m excited to be in the best shape of my life. All I have to do is manage my workload and make sure I take adequate breaks from the game. I feel like I can accomplish that because I feel like I have a really good balance in my life.”
Given how much the women’s game has changed, it is quite improbable that Meg Lanning will ever have another spell as Australia’s captain, which she had for almost ten years. Healy mentioned future-proofing the game for future generations, but she did not provide a timeframe for her tenure as captain. Her vice-captain, Tahlia McGrath, is seen as a natural successor.
“I think there’s a great group of leaders within our group that probably haven’t had the opportunities to lead a lot, especially in the domestic game, but also at the international level as well,” Healy stated. And I believe that will play a significant role in how we manage things in our group. The goal is to identify the upcoming stars in Australian cricket.
“There are undoubtedly a few exceptional, very experienced members of our group who perform admirably in both domestic cricket and the WBBL. Finding the next rung of leaders is therefore crucial, as is allowing them the flexibility to desire to lead within our group and supporting them in doing so. And I believe that falls under my purview.”
