Alyssa Healy found herself at the center of a hilarious cricket moment during a blind ranking challenge. The former Australia women’s captain was asked to rank some of the greatest bowlers in the sport. She had to assign each bowler a position from one to five before seeing the next name.
The first bowler presented was Australian spin legend Shane Warne. Healy immediately placed him at No. 1. India’s Jasprit Bumrah came next. She put him at No. 3.
Then came her husband, Mitchell Starc. With the No. 5 position still open, she placed him last. Glenn McGrath was placed at No. 4, and Pat Cummins landed at No. 2.
The final order was Warne at the top. He was followed by Cummins, Bumrah, McGrath, and Starc.
Healy admitted she had “messed up” but accepted the result. She realized the challenge was harder than it looked.
Starc kept his response simple. He wrote, “No worries.” The light-hearted exchange came on the same day he took a landmark wicket in a Test against Bangladesh. He became the leading wicket-taker among left-arm bowlers in Test cricket.
Healy made her debut in 2010 and was named captain in 2023. She has won a Commonwealth Games gold medal and led Australia to a clean sweep in the 2025 Ashes. She has been named ICC women’s T20I cricketer of the year twice. She is most proud of seeing the women’s game turn professional. She said inspiring the next generation means more to her than runs or dismissals.
Why Did Alyssa Healy Announce Retirement From International Cricket?
Alyssa Healy announced she will retire from all forms of cricket at the end of the home summer. She made the announcement on the Willow Talk podcast.
Healy drew the curtains on a 16-year international career. Her retirement from T20 cricket was immediate. She skipped the three T20Is against India. However, she played in the ODIs and the one-off Test against India. The India series was her last for Australia.
Healy said she still has passion for playing for Australia. But she has lost some of the competitive edge that has driven her since the start. She said the time feels right to call it a day.
She will miss her teammates, singing the team song, and walking out to open the batting for Australia. She said representing her country has been an incredible honour.
Healy made the decision to retire on her own. She did not consult her family or husband before announcing it. She knew the time had come.
Healy met her parents and husband Starc for coffee before training. They have long been her advisors. But for this decision, she barely spoke to them. She simply made the decision and told them. She said the timing is right because she has lost a little bit of her competitive edge. She had been playing for a long time and felt drained.
She said if she had fought her way through to the World Cup, she would not be doing the right thing by her teammates. She said she would be half-hearted in her effort.
Her parents and husband supported her decision. Starc told her he had her back no matter what. She said she is grateful for that support.
After the press conference, young boys emerged from the nets to find Healy. They presented their gloves for her to sign. She said the little moments and interactions outside the game are what have made it all special.
FAQs
Q. Who did Alyssa Healy rank No. 1?
A. Alyssa Healy ranked Shane Warne as the No. 1 bowler.
Q. Where did Alyssa Healy rank Mitchell Starc?
A. Healy placed her husband Starc at No. 5.
Q. Why did Alyssa Healy retire from international cricket?
A. Alyssa Healy felt she had lost some of her competitive edge.
Q. When did Alyssa Healy make her international debut?
A. Healy made her international debut in 2010.
Q. Did Alyssa Healy retire from T20 cricket immediately?
A. Yes. Her T20 international retirement was immediate.
Q. Did Mitchell Starc support Alyssa Healy’s retirement?
A. Yes. Starc told her that he had her back no matter what.
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