Navi Mumbai: Moments after Australia lost a thrilling, action-packed Women’s ODI World Cup semi-final to India by 5 wickets at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday, Aussie skipper Alyssa Healy revealed that it was her final ODI World Cup outing. The seven-time world champions were unbeaten going into the semis, but a brilliant century by Jemimah Rodrigues ' (127 not out) saw India pull off a 339-run chase - the highest successful chase in women's ODI history.
Returning to the XI after missing the last two matches due to a calf injury, Healy didn't enjoy a good outing. Even though she was dropped by her counterpart Harmanpreet Kaur at mid-off off Krant Goud, Healy was castled by Goud for five and later dropped a sitter which Rodrigues offered when she was on 82. The India batter skied the ball and Healy ended up missing a regulation catch, which proved costly for the defending champions.
When asked if she would be there in future ODI World Cups, she said in the post-match press conference, "I won't be there."
"That's the beauty of this next cycle - we're going to see that unfold. Obviously, there's a T20 World Cup in the middle of next year, which is really exciting for our group. But I think our one-day cricket is probably going to shift a little bit again. We'll learn from what we did wrong tonight. We'll grow, we'll get better. And the opportunity for some young players to get greater opportunities in this side is a really exciting thing for Australian cricket.
"When you've seen players my age walk away from the game, it's kind of a weird experience to stand there and watch the next generation go about it," she added.
"I thought Phoebe (Litchfield) was sensational today, set us off really nicely at the top and then went on to make a hundred, which I thought was really crucial. Kudos to her. It's been fun to watch her unfold, and I think the next four years leading into the next ODI World Cup are going to be really exciting to watch. The other change in batting is around that No.6, No.7 position. Ash Gardner has completely owned that role this World Cup," said the 35-year-old.
‘It was un-Australian from us to not be clinical'
Healy lamented Australia's ordinary show with the ball, terming it as "junk" and said it was uncharacteristic of her side to make such blunders on the field.
"We dished up a little bit too much junk to hit at times and also probably just didn't capitalise on the opportunities that we did create. It sort of feels a little bit un-Australian to be not as clinical as what we normally are... knowing how well we've played this World Cup feels a little bit disappointing sitting here," she said.
Australia dropped Jemimah on 82 and 106 as India reached 341-5 in 48.3 overs in the successful run chase. "We gave her a couple of opportunities which didn't help us, but I thought she played really well. I think her mental resilience out there to get her team over the line was exemplary, so full credit to her," said Healy.
“It (the dropped catches) definitely changed the course of the match. Was it semi-final pressure? Maybe. Was it just (lack of) concentration? We could put that down to whatever, but on a pretty decent wicket that seemed to be getting better and better to bat on as the night went on, to create those opportunities that we did and not capitalise was disappointing,” she rued.
Hailing the fact that there will be a new world champion when India and South Africa clash in the final on Sunday. "It's a showcase of this tournament. I've heard many people say that this is the closest tournament they've ever played in when it comes to ODI World Cups and I tend to agree. To see a new winner is going to do wonders for the game. To see how well it's been supported here in India, first and foremost, it's great for them to be able to have the opportunity to play it at home in front of home fans in an ODI World Cup final is going to be really special," she said.
Healy urged for more one-dayers in the calendar in the women's game. "I hope we see more one-day cricket on the calendar — that's going to be really important in this cycle... more bilateral series are going to be amazing for the global game and make sure that these World Cups are highly competitive," she said.
Returning to the XI after missing the last two matches due to a calf injury, Healy didn't enjoy a good outing. Even though she was dropped by her counterpart Harmanpreet Kaur at mid-off off Krant Goud, Healy was castled by Goud for five and later dropped a sitter which Rodrigues offered when she was on 82. The India batter skied the ball and Healy ended up missing a regulation catch, which proved costly for the defending champions.
When asked if she would be there in future ODI World Cups, she said in the post-match press conference, "I won't be there."
"That's the beauty of this next cycle - we're going to see that unfold. Obviously, there's a T20 World Cup in the middle of next year, which is really exciting for our group. But I think our one-day cricket is probably going to shift a little bit again. We'll learn from what we did wrong tonight. We'll grow, we'll get better. And the opportunity for some young players to get greater opportunities in this side is a really exciting thing for Australian cricket.
"When you've seen players my age walk away from the game, it's kind of a weird experience to stand there and watch the next generation go about it," she added.
"I thought Phoebe (Litchfield) was sensational today, set us off really nicely at the top and then went on to make a hundred, which I thought was really crucial. Kudos to her. It's been fun to watch her unfold, and I think the next four years leading into the next ODI World Cup are going to be really exciting to watch. The other change in batting is around that No.6, No.7 position. Ash Gardner has completely owned that role this World Cup," said the 35-year-old.
‘It was un-Australian from us to not be clinical'
Healy lamented Australia's ordinary show with the ball, terming it as "junk" and said it was uncharacteristic of her side to make such blunders on the field.
"We dished up a little bit too much junk to hit at times and also probably just didn't capitalise on the opportunities that we did create. It sort of feels a little bit un-Australian to be not as clinical as what we normally are... knowing how well we've played this World Cup feels a little bit disappointing sitting here," she said.
Australia dropped Jemimah on 82 and 106 as India reached 341-5 in 48.3 overs in the successful run chase. "We gave her a couple of opportunities which didn't help us, but I thought she played really well. I think her mental resilience out there to get her team over the line was exemplary, so full credit to her," said Healy.
“It (the dropped catches) definitely changed the course of the match. Was it semi-final pressure? Maybe. Was it just (lack of) concentration? We could put that down to whatever, but on a pretty decent wicket that seemed to be getting better and better to bat on as the night went on, to create those opportunities that we did and not capitalise was disappointing,” she rued.
Hailing the fact that there will be a new world champion when India and South Africa clash in the final on Sunday. "It's a showcase of this tournament. I've heard many people say that this is the closest tournament they've ever played in when it comes to ODI World Cups and I tend to agree. To see a new winner is going to do wonders for the game. To see how well it's been supported here in India, first and foremost, it's great for them to be able to have the opportunity to play it at home in front of home fans in an ODI World Cup final is going to be really special," she said.
Healy urged for more one-dayers in the calendar in the women's game. "I hope we see more one-day cricket on the calendar — that's going to be really important in this cycle... more bilateral series are going to be amazing for the global game and make sure that these World Cups are highly competitive," she said.
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