Australian women’s captain Alyssa Healy has announced her decision to retire from all formats of international cricket following the upcoming multi-format home series against India in February-March 2026. One of the most celebrated players in the history of the women’s game, Healy’s retirement will bring the curtain down on a 16-year international career.

The 35-year-old confirmed her decision during an appearance on the Willow Talk podcast, where she spoke about the mental and physical demands of the game. Her announcement leads Australia to head into the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup with a new captain.

While Healy will sit out the T20I leg of the India series to allow the team to prepare for the World Cup, she will continue to lead Australia in the ODIs before playing her final match in the one-off day-night Test at the WACA in Perth from March 6 to 9.

Healy admitted that the last few years had been mentally draining. Injuries, including one sustained during the ODI World Cup, affected her momentum and made it harder to maintain the competitive edge. She explained that pushing herself until the T20 World Cup would not have been fair to her teammates, given Australia’s limited preparation time.

"It's with mixed emotions that the upcoming India series will be my last for Australia. I still love playing for my country, but I feel the competitive edge that's driven me for so long isn't quite the same anymore. The timing feels right. I won't be going to the T20 World Cup this year and, given the limited preparation time the team has, I won't be part of the T20s against India. But I'm excited to finish my career by captaining the ODI and Test sides at home in one of the biggest series on our calendar. I'll genuinely miss my teammates, singing the team song and walking out to open the batting for Australia.

Representing my country has been an incredible honour and I'm grateful for one last series in the green and gold," Healy said.

Alyssa Healy finishes with most dismissals in T20Is across men’s and women’s cricket

Healy’s international career began in 2010, when she made her debut as a 19-year-old.

Since then, she has played 162 T20Is, 126 ODIs, and 11 Tests, scoring over 7,000 runs across all formats. Notably, she holds the record for the highest individual T20I score by a player from a Full Member nation (148*), and the most dismissals in T20Is across men’s and women’s cricket.

Meanwhile, Healy was part of eight ICC World Cup-winning teams, six T20 World Cups, and two ODI World Cups, and played a crucial role in Australia’s gold medal win at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Individually, she won the Belinda Clark Award in 2019 and was named ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year in 2018 and 2019.