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After Meg Lanning retires, Alyssa Healy plans to
assume full-time responsibility as Australia’s captain. She is optimistic she
will be fit for the India tour.
Healy has filled in for Lanning for the past year
during a tour of India, the Ashes in England, and the most recent series
against the West Indies. However, with a T20 World Cup and an ODI edition in
the upcoming two years, as well as a home Ashes series next summer, a decision
needs to be made regarding who will take on the role going forward. Lanning,
who is thirty-one, announced her retirement from cricket.
“I’ve been filling in in the anticipation that
Meg will come back, but at the end of the day the decision of who the next
skipper will be is up to the powers that be, whether they look long term or
short term I’m not 100% certain on that,” she said. “I’ve had a nice
little taste of it and, yes, 100% I would put my hand up to do it again if
called upon. But that’s for somebody else to decide and if it is somebody else
then I’ll happily support them as best as I can for the rest of my career.
“I feel like I’ve learnt a lot about myself but
also a lot about our group and potentially what we need to do to continue to
evolve. I’ve had to learn along the way how we are going to do that and how I
can best try and help the players do that. It’s been fun learnings and grateful
at 33 that I’ve had the opportunity to learn more about myself as a
player.”
Reflecting on Lanning’s career, which included four
consecutive World Cup titles across the two formats, Healy believed it placed
her at the very top of achievements in Australian cricket.
“She just grew into the role a little bit more,
became more assured herself as a leader,” Healy said. “We all knew
her capabilities as a player but what she did as a captain as well just
enhanced those skills as a player…and made her more determined to go out there
and win the game for your country, which as a team-mate there’s nothing much
better than that.
“The success rate she had as skipper and the
amount of wins and trophies we won under her, think it’s pretty unmatched in
the women’s and men’s game. Her legacy as a leader in Australian cricket will
be remembered for a lot longer than her amazing skills on the field.”