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Australia captain Alyssa Healy has chosen host India and archrival England as the teams to beat at the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup set to kick off on September 30.
“I wouldn’t write England off just yet, I think they will find a groove under Lottie (Charlotte Edwards),” Healy said on Thursday at a Cricket Australia event in Sydney. “But I think the way that India are playing, at home in those conditions, they are going to be really tough to beat.”
England recently hosted India for a multi-format series which saw the Women in Blue clinch a 3-2 and a 2-1 win in T20Is and ODIs respectively. India is set to host the Australians in a three-match ODI series in September.
The Australian side will try and become the first team to defend the Women’s 50-over World Cup title in 37 years. And leading it will be Healy who’s making her comeback from the foot injury she picked up at last year’s Women’s T20 World Cup.
Getting back to keeping
The 35-year-old hasn’t played for Australia since she featured as a batter only in the one-off Test against England at the MCG in February. The last time she kept wickets was during the ODI against the English in January.
“I haven’t actually kept in a competitive game since January and that’s given me a little bit of time to tinker with a few things and make it a little bit easier on my body,” Healy said.
“We’ve been taught how to wicketkeep a certain way in this country for an extended period of time, and at the end of the day it’s not overly efficient on our bodies and doing it at 35, it’s not ideal.
“We’ve just been looking at ways to make it a little bit easier for my aging joints and trying to keep things moving the way they should.
“Without getting overly technical, (I’ve just adjusted) where I’m starting from, more than anything else.
“You won’t notice anything different, just not getting as low as what I used to, to hopefully help the knee, help the foot and keep me out there a little bit longer.”
Healy is likely to return to action during the India ‘A’ side’s tour Down Under where it is scheduled to play a multi-format series comprising three T20s, three 50-over matches, and a four-day red-ball fixture against Australia ‘A’ starting August 7.
