Australia captain Alyssa Healy will miss the next ICC Women’s ODI World Cup match against England, Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed on Tuesday. The wicketkeeper-batter suffered a minor calf strain during a training session on Saturday.
Vice-captain Tahlia McGrath will take on the captaincy duties for the clash against their arch-rivals in Indore. Both Australia and England have already qualified for the semi-finals, with nine points each. Currently, Australia are leading the points table due to their net run rate (NRR) of +1.818, while England are in second place with an NRR of +1.490. This match will decide which team finishes higher in the table.
According to CA, Healy will be closely monitored ahead of their final league match against South Africa. In her absence, Beth Mooney will take the gloves, and Georgia Voll could replace Healy in the playing XI, as she was seen spending more time in the nets on Monday. Voll is widely expected to open the batting with Phoebe Litchfield.
The defending champions have been in brilliant form, remaining undefeated so far. Australia will be sweating on the fitness of their skipper, who has been in excellent form with the bat.
After a slow start to the tournament, Healy found her rhythm. She scored 142 runs off 107 balls against India and followed it up with an unbeaten 113 off 77 balls against Bangladesh.
Healy’s injury is another setback, as she previously missed matches during the 2024 T20 World Cup and parts of the 2024–25 season due to knee and foot injuries.
With a short turnaround between the final two league matches, Australia are unlikely to risk their captain if she fails to prove her fitness ahead of the South Africa game on October 25.
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