Alyssa Healy received a guard of honour from Team India before the start of play in her final ODI, as Australia faced India in the third match of the series at Bellerive Oval on Sunday. The Women in Blue lined up as the Australia captain walked out to bat in her last 50-over appearance.
The moment blended rivalry with respect. Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur, long a fierce competitor against Healy, shook hands with the Australian great as she stepped onto the pitch. The gesture set the tone for a special afternoon.
India’s cricket board marked the tribute publicly. “Team India formed a guard of honour before the start of play today for Australia captain Alyssa Healy, who is playing her final ODI match,” the BCCI Women account posted on X. The message captured the mood perfectly.
Healy then did what she has done for more than a decade. She dominated the bowling, smashed a century, and carried Australia with a blistering 158 from 98 balls. Sneh Rana finally ended her innings in the 37th over, but by then Healy had already owned the stage.
The farewell did not come out of the blue. In January, Healy announced she would end her 16-year international career after the home series against India. She now leads Australia through a full multi-format tour before signing off in front of her own crowd.
Her numbers explain the respect. Healy scored 489 runs in 10 Tests, 3,619 runs in 123 ODIs, and 3,054 runs in 162 T20Is. Australia handed her the full-time captaincy in December 2023 after Meg Lanning stepped aside.
Behind the stumps, she stands unmatched. Healy has completed 269 dismissals across formats, the most by any wicketkeeper in women’s international cricket. With 7,106 international runs, only Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry sit ahead of her for Australia.
