The Australia women’s team is concerned about captain Alyssa Healy‘s fitness ahead of their important semi-final against South Africa at Dubai International Stadium on Thursday, October 17. Healy suffered a calf injury while running between the wickets in the group-stage match against Pakistan.
Tahlia McGrath captained the team in Healy’s absence during their last group-stage match against India in Sharjah. Healy was spotted on crutches before the game, and although she hasn’t been officially ruled out of the tournament, she hasn’t trained since her injury, making her availability for the semi-final uncertain.
“I’ve been really fortunate to be among the group for a period of time now, and I think across the group, we’ve got a broad level of experienced players and leaders. Providing that support to whether it’s Midge (Healy) or Tahlia at different points during matches is something I’ve always done, along with lots of other players.”
“It probably looked a little bit different with not having Midge on the field the other night, but in terms of the messaging and how we spoke, it was all the same,” Ellyse Perry told the media ahead of the semi-final clash (via Fox Sports).
“The medical staff and the team are going to give her every opportunity and possibility to play tomorrow night, but I don’t think anything’s changed in that respect. We’ll just have to see in the next 24 hours,” she added.
With Healy unavailable, Beth Mooney took on the wicket-keeping duties, and Grace Harris was promoted to the top of the batting order.
Australia remains undefeated in the 2024 Women’s T20 World Cup, starting their campaign with wins against Sri Lanka and New Zealand, followed by victories over Pakistan and India, earning a total of eight points.
“It was extremely painful at the time”-Australia captain Alyssa Healy about her injury
Alyssa Healy was in excellent form during the match against Pakistan prior to her injury. After contributing with some quick scores and amassing 50 runs over three innings, she had struck six boundaries to reach 37 before the unfortunate incident occurred.
“I’m still in the squad, so I haven’t been replaced and there’s still the chance that I can take part in this tournament. It was bloody sore at the time … as you could probably tell by the extra expression on my face, but it’s play on and hopefully get myself right for either a semi or a final,” Healy told the Willow Talk Podcast earlier this week (via Fox Sports).
Australia aims to secure their fourth consecutive Women’s T20 World Cup title. Following a narrow victory over India, they face another tough challenge against a strong South Africa team, reminiscent of the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup final.
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