Alyssa Healy facts for kids
Healy with the Sydney Sixers in 2016
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
Alyssa Jean Healy
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| Born | 24 March 1990 Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia |
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| Nickname | Midge | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Wicket-keeper-batter | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Ian Healy (uncle) Ken Healy (uncle) Mitchell Starc (husband) Brandon Starc (brother-in-law) |
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| International information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 162) | 22 January 2011 v England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 30 January 2025 v England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 116) | 10 February 2010 v New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 17 January 2025 v England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 77 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 29) | 21 February 2010 v New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 11 October 2024 v Pakistan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 77 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007/08–present | New South Wales (squad no. 77) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Yorkshire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015/16–present | Sydney Sixers (squad no. 77) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Trailblazers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Yorkshire Diamonds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–present | Northern Superchargers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–present | UP Warriorz | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: CricketArchive, 23 April 2025
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Alyssa Jean Healy (born 24 March 1990) is a famous Australian cricket player. She is the captain of the Australian women's national team. She also plays for the New South Wales team in Australia. In the WBBL, she plays for the Sydney Sixers. She also captains the UP Warriorz in the Women's Premier League in India. Alyssa started playing international cricket in February 2010.
Alyssa is a right-handed batter and a wicket-keeper. Her father, Greg Healy, was part of the Queensland cricket team. Her uncle, Ian Healy, was a famous Australian Test wicket-keeper. He held the world record for the most dismissals in Test cricket for a long time. Another uncle, Ken Healy, also played cricket for Queensland.
Alyssa first became well-known in 2006. She was the first girl to play cricket among boys in a private schools' competition in New South Wales. She quickly moved up through the state teams. She made her debut for the senior New South Wales team in the 2007–08 season. For her first two seasons, she mostly played as a batter. This was because Leonie Coleman, another wicket-keeper for Australia, was already in the team. When Coleman left in 2009–10, Alyssa became the full-time wicket-keeper for her state. In that same season, she scored her highest score of 89 not out. She also made the most dismissals as a wicket-keeper in the Women's National Cricket League.
When Australian captain and wicket-keeper Jodie Fields got injured, Alyssa got her chance to play for Australia. This was in the 2010 Rose Bowl series against New Zealand. She played in the first five One Day Internationals (ODIs) and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). She was later rested for some matches. Alyssa played in every game of the 2010 World Twenty20. Australia won the tournament without losing a single match. She was also a key player in Australia's squad for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 in the West Indies. She scored the most runs in that tournament (225 runs) and was named the player of the tournament.
In December 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) named her the T20I Player of the Year. In September 2019, during a series against Sri Lanka, Alyssa played her 100th WT20I match. In the same series, she set a new record for the highest individual score in a Women's T20I match with 148 not out. In January 2020, she was part of Australia's team for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia. She was the second-highest run-scorer with 236 runs. In the final, she scored a quick 75 runs off 39 balls against India. This helped Australia win their fifth title, and she was named player of the match. In September 2020, in a WT20I match against New Zealand, Alyssa made her 92nd dismissal as a wicket-keeper. This broke MS Dhoni's record of 91 dismissals, making her the record holder for most dismissals by any wicket-keeper, male or female, in Twenty20 International cricket.
Contents
Early Life and Cricket Start
Alyssa Healy was born on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Her family has a strong cricket background. Her father, Greg, played for the Queensland team. Her uncle, Ian Healy, was a famous Australian Test wicket-keeper. Another uncle, Ken Healy, also played for Queensland. Even with this family history, Alyssa said she only became interested in cricket after moving to Sydney as a child. A friend encouraged her to try the sport. She went to high school at MLC School and later Barker College.
When she was 16, in late 2006, Alyssa was chosen as the wicket-keeper for the Barker College First XI team. This was a big deal because she was the first girl to play among boys in this top private schools' cricket competition in New South Wales. Her selection caused some discussion. An anonymous person sent an email calling her selection a "disgrace." However, the sports director at Barker College and her uncle Ian Healy defended her. They said she was chosen because she was good enough. Alyssa later said she enjoyed playing with the boys and it helped her improve her skills.
In January 2007, Alyssa was picked for the New South Wales Under-19 team. She was an opening batter and scored well in her first few matches. She ended up with 345 runs and was the top scorer. She was also named the best under-17 player at the tournament. The next month, she was chosen for the Australia Youth team. This team was for under-23 cricketers. She was the only player picked before playing for her senior state team. She scored 63 runs in one match, helping her team.
Playing for New South Wales
In the 2007–08 season, Alyssa made her senior debut for the New South Wales Breakers. This was in the Australian domestic one-day league. She played as a specialist batter at the top of the order. This was because Leonie Coleman, who was also a wicket-keeper for Australia, played for New South Wales. Alyssa didn't score many runs at first. But in her sixth game, she helped her team win. She scored 41 not out from 50 balls, guiding her team to a two-wicket victory.
New South Wales reached the final and won the title because they finished first in the qualifying matches. Alyssa ended the season with 78 runs. She also played in two Twenty20 matches for her state.
At the end of the season, she played for the Under-23 Australian team against England and Australia's senior teams. She scored well and took three catches as a specialist batter. The next season, 2008–09, she continued to play as a batter. She was dropped from the team for a short time. After playing well for the Second XI team, she was called back to the senior team. In a match against Victoria, she scored 59 runs from 55 balls. New South Wales won the final against Victoria, and Alyssa ended the season with 79 runs. She was also on a list of 30 players for the 2009 Women's Cricket World Cup, but she wasn't in the final team.
Becoming a Full-Time Wicket-Keeper
After the Women's World Cup in 2009, Leonie Coleman moved to another team. This meant Alyssa Healy became the main wicket-keeper for New South Wales in the 2009–10 season. She started the season well. In one match against Victoria, she scored an unbeaten 89 runs. She hit 13 fours and was named Player of the Match. She also took a catch and made a stumping in that game. Her season was paused when she played for the Australian Under-21 team against New Zealand. Australia won that series.
In the final of the one-day competition, she scored 23 runs and took two catches. New South Wales beat Victoria to win the title. Alyssa finished her first full season as a wicket-keeper with 208 runs. She also took 11 catches and made 9 stumpings, which was more than any other player.
She also played in seven T20 matches. In the T20 final, New South Wales lost to Victoria. Alyssa holds a record for giving away the most "byes" as a wicket-keeper in a WT20I innings (9).
International Career Begins
Alyssa was chosen for the Australian team in February 2010. This was for the Rose Bowl series against New Zealand. The main wicket-keeper, Jodie Fields, was injured. The selectors said Alyssa had been watched for a while and now had her chance. She made her ODI debut at the Adelaide Oval. In her first match, she scored 21 runs quickly and took one catch. She played in all five ODIs in Australia. She also played in three T20s in Hobart. One of these T20 matches was the first women's cricket game shown live on free TV in Australia.
In one T20 match, Alyssa dropped a catch early on. New Zealand won that game by two runs. Alyssa didn't score many runs in her first T20 matches. She was then not chosen for the three ODIs in New Zealand.
2010 T20 World Cup Victory
Alyssa was picked for the 2010 World Twenty20 in the West Indies. She played in every match because Jodie Fields was injured again. In a warm-up match, she took two catches.
Australia was in a group with England, South Africa, and the West Indies. In the first match against England, Alyssa took one catch. Australia needed 42 runs from 34 balls to win. Alyssa scored 15 runs from 9 balls, hitting three fours. The scores ended up tied. They played a "Super Over" to decide the winner. Alyssa scored two runs and was run out. Australia won the match because they had hit more sixes.
In the next match against South Africa, Alyssa scored 8 runs. Australia won by 22 runs. In the final group match against the West Indies, Alyssa scored 12 runs. She also caught Deandra Dottin for a "golden duck" (out on the first ball). Australia won and finished first in their group.
Australia played India in the semi-final. Alyssa stumped a top Indian batter, Mithali Raj. Australia won the match easily. In the final against New Zealand, Australia batted first. Alyssa scored 10 runs before being run out. Australia ended up with 8/106. New Zealand almost caught up, but Australia won by three runs. Alyssa helped Australia win the tournament.
Recent Career Highlights
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In June 2015, Alyssa was part of Australia's team for the 2015 Women's Ashes in England. She was the main wicket-keeper for the 2017 Women's Ashes series in Australia. She scored the most runs in the ODI part of that series. Australia kept the Ashes because the series ended in a tie.
In April 2018, Cricket Australia gave her a national contract. In June 2018, Alyssa became the captain of the New South Wales Breakers. This happened after the previous captain, Alex Blackwell, retired.
In October 2018, she was in Australia's team for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 in the West Indies. She was the top run-scorer with 225 runs and was named the player of the tournament. In November 2018, she joined the Sydney Sixers for the 2018–19 Women's Big Bash League season. In April 2019, Cricket Australia gave her another contract. In June 2019, she was part of Australia's team for their tour to England for the Ashes.
She won the Belinda Clark Medal in 2019, which is a top award in Australian cricket. In January 2020, she was in Australia's team for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup. In a match against Bangladesh, Alyssa and Beth Mooney made a huge opening partnership of 151 runs. This was the highest partnership for Australia Women in a WT20I match. In the final, Alyssa scored an amazing 75 runs off 39 balls. She was named player of the match, and Australia won their fifth title.
In November 2020, Alyssa was nominated for the ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Decade award. On 7 April 2021, she played her 200th international match against New Zealand.
In January 2022, Alyssa was in Australia's team for the series against England for the Ashes. Later that month, she was named in Australia's team for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. In April 2022, the Northern Superchargers bought her for the 2022 season of The Hundred in England. The next month, Alyssa was named in Australia's team for the cricket tournament at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.
In December 2023, after Meg Lanning retired, Alyssa Healy became the captain of the Australia women's national cricket team. She now leads the team in Test, One Day International, and Twenty20 International cricket. She was named captain for the 2024 ICC Women's T20 World Cup and the 2025 Women's Ashes series.
Amazing Records
Between February and August 2019, Alyssa Healy held a Guinness World Record. It was for the highest catch of a cricket ball, at 82.5 meters. This was part of a campaign for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup. However, Kristan Baumgartner later broke this record with a catch from 114 meters.
Alyssa Healy holds the world record for the most runs in a Women's T20 International match. She scored 148* (not out) from 61 balls at North Sydney Oval on 2 October 2019 against Sri Lanka. On 8 March 2020, she also set the record for the fastest 50 runs (off 30 balls) in the history of ICC event finals across all formats. This record was later broken by Heinrich Klaasen in 2024.
International Centuries
One Day International Centuries
| Runs | Match | Opponents | City | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 133 | 58 |  India |
Vadodara, India | Reliance Stadium | 2018 |
| 122 | 68 |  West Indies |
Saint George, Antigua and Barbuda | Coolidge Cricket Ground | 2019 |
| 112* | 73 |  Sri Lanka |
Brisbane, Australia | Allan Border Field | 2019 |
| 129 | 93 | West Indies |
Wellington, New Zealand | Basin Reserve | 2022 |
| 170 | 94 |  England |
Christchurch, New Zealand | Hagley Oval | 2022 |
T20 International Centuries
| Runs | Match | Opponents | City | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 148* | 101 | Sri Lanka |
Sydney, Australia | North Sydney Oval | 2019 |
Awards and Achievements
Team Honours
International Wins
- ICC Women's T20 World Cup: 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020, 2023
- ICC Women's Cricket World Cup: 2013, 2022
Domestic and Franchise Wins
- Women's Big Bash League: 2016–17, 2017–18
- Women's National Cricket League: 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, 2018–19
Individual Awards
- ICC Women's T20I Cricketer of the Year: 2018, 2019
- Belinda Clark Award: 2019
- Cricket Australia Women's ODI Player of the Year: 2019
- ICC Women's Player of the Month: April 2021
- WBBL Team of the Tournament: 2018–19
Personal Life
Alyssa's nickname is "Midge." She said her dad gave it to her when she was little, and it just stuck.
In 2015, Alyssa got engaged to fast bowler Mitchell Starc. They got married in April 2016. They first met when they were 9 years old. Alyssa and Mitchell are only the third married couple to both play Test cricket. In March 2020, Mitchell flew home from a cricket tour to watch Alyssa play in the final of the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup. Alyssa's brother-in-law is the high jumper Brandon Starc.
Alyssa enjoys playing golf and has a good golf handicap. She competes against Mitchell Starc for an annual "Stealy Cup."
Alyssa and her husband Mitchell Starc support the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League. They were named joint number 1 ticket holders for the team in 2025.
