With an Australia victory in the day-night Test against India all but assured, retiring captain Alyssa Healy found herself in a dilemma as her team-mates pleaded with her to move up the batting order.
Australia only needed to chase down a meagre 25 runs early on day three with the remaining interest of a one-sided match centering on whether Healy, who batted at No. 4 in the first innings, would promote herself to open.
Her team-mates – just like the 2303 fans at the revamped WACA ground – were desperate for the chance of seeing Healy hit the winning runs to cap her legendary international career in fairytale fashion.
Australia head coach Shelley Nitschke also sought out Healy to see what she wanted to do. As expected, given her humble demeanour and no-nonsense approach, Healy was not swayed by the overwhelming sentiment of the occasion and decided to stick with their regular batting line-up.
“It’s not what I’m about. It’s not what the team’s about either,” Healy told reporters after the match. “We pride ourselves on being team first. I think if you succumb to peer pressure, it’s not a great sign of leadership, right? I think it didn’t need that moment today.
“It’s a look into the future that you’ve got [Phoebe] Litchfield and [Georgia] Voll striding out to open the batting again in Test cricket. I didn’t want that to be disrupted at any point.
“I was more than happy to do absolutely nothing and get the win.”
Litchfield and Voll made light work of the chase and with just one run needed, Healy ripped off the pads in the changeroom, knowing her magnificent career was over.
Having been initially reluctant to make her retirement plans public, Healy’s swansong has inevitably been the focus of the ODI series and subsequent one-off Test. Healy has insisted throughout that she hasn’t been feeling any sadness but, naturally, her emotions did bubble over when the end came for one of Australian cricket’s most accomplished players.
“There’s a little bit of sadness. Just sitting in the changeroom and realising that I don’t really get to come back,” Healy said. “I’m not coming back next week and sitting with that group of people…that kind of made me sad, more so than anything cricket related.”
Healy may have been somewhat embarrassed by all the attention, but everywhere you looked there was some type of tribute for her. The grassbanks under the historic WACA scoreboard was renamed “Healy Hill” festooned with a banner reading “Thank U Midge”.
Spectators were handed cardboard cutouts of Healy although they were mostly used as handheld fans amid the fierce heat across the match. Through it all, Healy stripped it back and simply tried to have fun in the final moments of her career.
One such moment was in the field late on day two when she had a foot race with Litchfield in a bid to track down a ball that motored towards the boundary in an amusing scene that earned chuckles from the terraces.
“I’ve tried to enjoy the majority of my career,” Healy said. “There’s not many of these opportunities that pop up to really enjoy moments.
“So today was really cool. We obviously knew we were in a great position in the game and could put the foot on the throat a little bit. To get the result was awesome and very enjoyable.”
Healy, who started her international career in February 2010, undoubtedly leaves a gaping hole in the Australia team across formats. Her absence was notable during their 2-1 defeat in the T20I leg when Australia made an unconvincing start under new skipper Sophie Molineux.
Healy’s return sparked Australia, who regained their trademark swagger as they turned things around to record a decisive 12-4 victory on points in the multi-format series.
“I think in some ways, the pressure’s off. I think India winning that World Cup allowed us to reset, refocus and go again,” Healy said. “I feel like there’s a little element of maybe we might sneak under the radar for the first time at the [upcoming] T20 World Cup with a fresh looking squad and new leadership.
“I think it’s a really exciting time for them to just go out there and become a new presence in international cricket. The skills in that dressing room are unmatched.
“It’s just whether or not we can continue to win those key moments moving forward and I’ve got no doubt they can do that.”
The celebrations started immediately after the match with Healy lifted onto the shoulders of long-time team-mates Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner before she engaged in a long session of selfies and signing for giddy fans, who were allowed onto the ground post-play.
Healy is not quite done with playing as she sets her sights on helping New South Wales win the title in the WNCL. After that, there will be a well-earned breather before she figures out the next stage of her career which is likely to include commentating, having been part of Fox’s broadcast this summer during the men’s Ashes.
“I’m excited to rediscover or discover who I am away from cricket,” she said. “I think it’s a cool opportunity to just sit back and reflect on everything that’s been over a really hectic last 16-plus years. Just enjoy that but also learn a bit about myself away from the game of cricket, which I’m really excited by.
“I feel like I’ve played a really small part in continuing to grow this sport and make it better for the young players coming through. I think that’s probably what I’ll be most proud of.”
