Alyssa Jean Healy, born on 24 March 1990 on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, is a former professional cricketer who played as a right-handed wicketkeeper-batter for the Australian women’s national team.
Known by the nickname ‘Midge,’ she is the daughter of Greg Healy, a former Queensland squad member, and Sandy Healy.
Her uncle Ian Healy is a legendary Australian Test wicketkeeper, and another uncle, Ken Healy, also played for Queensland.
Healy married Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc in 2016; the couple are among the few husband-and-wife pairs to have both played Test cricket.
She moved to Sydney as a child, attended MLC School and Barker College, and developed her love of cricket after a school friend’s invitation, despite the family sporting background.
Healy announced her retirement from professional cricket in early 2026 after a 16-year international career, during which she also captained Australia.
Siblings
Alyssa had one older sister, Kareen Healy.
Kareen was a keen sports participant who particularly enjoyed touch football.
On 2 December 2002, shortly after her 15th birthday, she suffered an anaphylactic reaction during a school touch football game, went into cardiac arrest, and died a few days later on 5 December 2002.
Alyssa was 12 at the time.
Kareen’s organs were donated, and her legacy is remembered through school awards and memorials at MLC School, where both sisters attended.
Career
Healy made her international debut for Australia in a One-Day International against New Zealand on 10 February 2010 at the age of 19.
She went on to play across all formats, appearing in Tests (debuting in 2011), ODIs, and T20 Internationals until her final matches in the multi-format series against India in early 2026.
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Domestically she represented New South Wales (the Breakers) in the Women’s National Cricket League and the Sydney Sixers in the Women’s Big Bash League.
Early in her career she was primarily valued for her keeping, but a tactical shift to opening the batting in limited-overs cricket from late 2017 transformed her into one of the world’s most destructive batters.
She scored more than 7,000 international runs across formats, with notable high scores including 170 in the 2022 ODI World Cup final against England (the highest individual score in a women’s World Cup final at the time) and 148 not out in a T20I.
Behind the stumps she amassed hundreds of dismissals, holding records for the most by a wicketkeeper in T20 Internationals.
Healy became captain after Meg Lanning’s retirement and led Australia to significant series successes, including a comprehensive Ashes whitewash.
She was a trailblazer from school level, becoming the first girl selected as wicketkeeper in an elite New South Wales boys’ school competition.
Accolades
Healy was part of Australian sides that won the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2023, and the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2013 and 2022.
She also claimed a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Individually she was named ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year in both 2018 and 2019, won the Belinda Clark Award (Australia’s highest individual honour in women’s cricket) in 2019, and earned Player of the Tournament honours at the 2018 T20 World Cup along with multiple Player of the Match awards in major finals, including the 2020 T20 World Cup final and both the semi-final and final of the 2022 ODI World Cup.
Domestically she contributed to numerous Women’s National Cricket League titles with New South Wales and two WBBL titles with the Sydney Sixers, and received various player-of-the-year recognitions at state and league level.
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