‘Prepare spinning wickets at your own demise’: New skipper Healy dares India

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Newly appointed Australian women’s captain Alyssa Healy has dared India to prepare a spinning pitch for their one-off Test in Mumbai later this month.

Officially announced as skipper on Saturday following Meg Lanning’s retirement from international cricket, after acting as interim leader for the past year, Healy believes Australia’s spinners will be a match for India.

The Australian’s men’s team lost a four-Test series 2-1 in India early this year after being exposed to excessively turning pitches. They played just one fast bowler during the last three Tests and Healy’s husband Mitchell Starc played the last two, which Australia won then drew.

“I’m actually really intrigued to see as to what sort of wickets they prepare,” Healy, 33, said. “I think we’ve got a really, really good spin attack. So do that at your own peril. Don’t get me wrong, the Indians have got a strong spin attack as well.

“But I mean, we’ve got some of the best leg-spinners in the world. We’ve got Ash Gardener, who took nine wickets on English soil with the ball in hand. So yeah, prepare spinning wickets at your own demise.

“It will be interesting to see if they make it nice and flat. But I haven’t played at Wankhede [Stadium] since the IPL exhibition game a couple of years ago, so I’m excited for that experience.”

Australian women’s captain Alyssa Healy.Credit: Dion Georgopoulos

Australia have named four spinners in their 16-player touring squad – Gardner, veteran left-armer Jess Jonassen and leg-spinners Alan King and Georgia Wareham – as part of a strong and varied attack for the multi-format series which ends on January 10. There will be the Test from December 21, followed by three one-day matches and three Twenty20 games.

With female cricketers playing so few Tests, Gardner is currently Australia’s leading Test spinner with 16 wickets from four matches at an average of 21.

Hard-hitting all-rounder Tahlia McGrath has been named vice-captain.

The Australians are due to leave on Wednesday, but Healy was originally in doubt for the tour when the wicketkeeper suffered a severed artery in her right index finger, leaving her briefly fearing for her career, after she intervened to separate her two dogs.

Alyssa Healy in Birmingham during this year’s Ashes.Credit: Getty Images

“Everything is going really, really well,” said Healy, who has been captain of NSW since 2018. “I started back in the nets over the last week and a half, so I’m on track to fly to India a for big series over there.”

It was a frustrating time for Healy, a Sydney Sixers veteran who missed the Women Big Bash League.

“I actually always thought I was a couch potato, but spending three weeks on the couch, not even being able to sweat, was a real struggle for me. It wasn’t much fun,” Healy said.

“But it gave me a little bit of time at home to just recoup, refresh and watch a lot of WBBL and the World Cup on Fox, then just get myself right to go.”

Australia squad: Darcie Brown, Lauren Cheatle (Test only), Heather Graham, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris (T20s only), Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

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