Australia captain Alyssa Healy will retire from all cricket after the multi format home series against India in February to March 2026, bringing to an end one of the most decorated careers the women’s game has seen.
Healy, 35, confirmed the decision on Willow Talk, a podcast she regularly appears on, framing it as a choice shaped by time, injuries, and what she still has left to give.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Healy said on Willow Talk, a podcast she’s a regular panelist on. “Few injuries. You’ve got to dive into the well, and the well is getting less and less full of water. Getting harder to dive back in there.
“At the end of the day, to have an opportunity to finish at home against India, which is on the calendar one of the biggest series for us. I thought that would be a really cool way to finish with some of my team-mates and some family around as well. It would’ve been nice to do it in India with a World Cup, but doing it at home will be something special.”
The timing has immediate consequences for Australia’s next major tournament. Healy’s retirement means the team will head into the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup with a new captain, and without one of their most influential players.
“That means I’m not going to the T20 World Cup,” she said. “So there might be a little bit of change within that series [against India] leading into the World Cup, but leading on that tour will be really, really special.”
Healy said she had hoped to keep the decision private until later in the India series, but the need for clarity ahead of the T20 World Cup pushed the announcement forward.
“I never wanted to announce it, wanted to get to the end of the Test match [against India, starting March 6 in Perth], but with me not going into the T20 World Cup, it’s forced a little bit of change. Not a lot of T20 cricket leading into that for the girls, so it’s probably the place for me to make a decision on that format and give the girls an opportunity to prepare for that World Cup knowing that I’m not going to be there.
“It has forced an announcement of sorts, but it has given me some peace as well because I’ve known this in the back of my mind for probably six months. But to finally say it and get it out there, would be ideal for everyone to just clap it and move on.”
Healy debuted for Australia as a 19 year old in February 2010 and has scored more than 3500 runs in one day internationals and more than 3000 in T20 internationals. She has played the second most T20 international matches for Australia and holds the highest individual score, 148 not out, among Full Member teams. She also holds the record for the most T20 international dismissals across men’s and women’s cricket.
Her trophy haul includes six Women’s T20 World Cup titles, in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023, plus ODI World Cup wins in 2013 and 2022. She was named ICC T20I Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and 2019.
