Women’s BBL, Knee Injury Rules Out Australian Captain Alyssa Healy
Alyssa Healy, the captain of Australia’s cricket team, had to stop playing in the Women’s Big Bash League 2024 match for the Sydney Sixers. She injured her left knee and couldn’t continue. This is tough for the Sixers because Healy had only managed to play four games this season. It’s also a big concern for the Australian team since she might miss the upcoming One Day International (ODI) series against India.
Tahlia McGrath, who stepped in for Alyssa Healy during the 2024 T20 World Cup, has been sidelined with a foot injury. Healy is also unavailable for the next two weeks.
The Sydney Sixers have announced their 13-player squad for the match against the Sydney Thunder. Ellyse Perry will lead the team, while Frankie Nicklin takes Healy’s spot. The squad includes Hollie Armitage, Caoimhe Bray, Maitlan Brown, Sarah Bryce, Mathilda Carmichael, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Elsa Hunter, Amelia Kerr, Kate Pelle, and Courtney Sippel.
The 34-year-old played her first ODI match on February 10 against New Zealand. In 50-over games, she has appeared in 110 matches and scored 3,011 runs with a strike rate of 97.98. In T20Is, Healy has played 162 matches and scored 3,054 runs at an impressive strike rate of 129.79.
The Sydney Sixers will also miss Sophie Ecclestone from England. She is leaving to join her national team for their tour of South Africa. This means she won’t play in the tournament anymore.
So far, the Sixers have won three of their seven matches. They are currently in sixth place on the Women’s Big Bash League points table. To reach the knockout stage, they need to win three more games.
Australia will play a three-match ODI series against India at home. After that, they will face New Zealand in another ODI series. Later, they will return to Australia to take on England in the Ashes series. This multi-format event will start on January 12, and Healy is likely to join the team for it.
“She will continue with her rehabilitation over the coming fortnight under the care of CNSW and CA medical staff,” the Sydney Sixers said in a statement while announcing 13-member team.
“Higher powers are sitting above that are quite vocal in what can and can’t happen, which I completely understand. Being a skipper as well is a fairly big role for me. I want to be available for as much of the summer as I can,” the wicketkeeper-batter said earlier this month.
“I’ve hardly played a game for the Sixers for the past two seasons, and it’s a place I really enjoy playing cricket. I want to be available for every game that I possibly can, but the reality is that might not be the case. It’s going to be managing the pain, function, and what I can and can’t do all summer. How I pull up from games is going to be really important as well,” she added.
