Australia captain Alyssa Healy has been ruled out of Wednesday’s World Cup match against England due to a calf injury sustained during training on Saturday. The minor strain places her participation in the remainder of the 50-over tournament in doubt, with Australia facing an anxious wait on her recovery ahead of the semi-finals.
Healy has played a crucial role in guiding Australia into the semi-finals with two matches to spare, scoring 142 runs against India and an unbeaten 113 against Bangladesh. Her absence will see Beth Mooney take over wicketkeeping duties, while Tahlia McGrath is set to captain the side. Georgia Voll is expected to open the batting.
Australia, the defending champions, sit at the top of the table with four wins from five matches, ahead of 2022 runners-up England on net run rate. Both sides are due to meet at Holkar Stadium in Indore, although they could be overtaken by South Africa if they win their match against Pakistan on Tuesday.
Australia and South Africa will meet in the final round of group matches on Saturday, also in Indore. The top four teams will qualify for the semi-finals, which are scheduled for 29 and 30 October in Guwahati or Colombo, and Mumbai.
Healy, 35, faces a race against time to return for the knockout stages. Her international career, which began in 2010, has recently been hampered by a series of injuries. She missed key matches during the 2024 T20 World Cup, including the semi-final loss to South Africa due to a plantar fascia issue.
She also sat out large portions of the 2024–25 season with knee and foot problems, missing much of the WBBL with Sydney Sixers, as well as international fixtures against India, in the Ashes, and in New Zealand.
Healy returned to action in August, featuring in six white-ball matches for Australia A against India A, before being selected for the World Cup squad.
