Alyssa Healy chose the perfect way to say goodbye to ODI cricket by doing what she has done for years: taking the game away from the opposition in a matter of overs.
On a warm afternoon in Hobart, with Australia already leading the multi-format series 6-4 on points, Healy walked out to open in her final 50-over international against India. Before she even faced a ball, the Indian players formed a guard of honour. It was a powerful sight fierce rivals standing in respect for one of the formatโs most influential cricketers. India captain Harmanpreet Kaur shook her hand at the end of the line, and for a brief moment, the result did not matter.
๐๐ซ๐๐๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ ๐
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) March 1, 2026
A guard of honour for Alyssa Healy in her final ODI appearance ๐ค ๐ซก#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/KrRMqBJ1XN
Then the cricket started.
India had won the toss and opted to bowl, hoping to level the ODI leg before the one-off Test in Perth. Early on, Phoebe Litchfield fell cheaply, but any thought of Australian vulnerability disappeared quickly. Healy and Georgia Voll stitched together a 104-run partnership that shifted momentum completely. Healy reached her half-century in 49 balls, measured at first, watchful of conditions. But once set, she did not hold back.
Her century came off just 79 deliveries clean, controlled and ruthless. Boundaries flowed square of the wicket, through cover and over mid-on. When she decided to accelerate further, India had no answers. In one over from Shree Charani, Healy struck four fours and a six, sending the run rate soaring past seven an over. She moved from 100 to 150 in just 16 balls, a statement of intent that felt almost personal. This was not just a farewell knock; it was a reminder of the standard she has set.
By the time Sneh Rana bowled her in the 37th over for 158 off 98 balls, Healy had struck 27 fours and two sixes. Australia were 3-281 and eyeing a massive total. As she walked off, Smriti Mandhana and several Indian players approached to shake her hand. The contest had been intense, but respect came first.
The innings also carried historical weight. Healy became only the second woman to score a century in her final ODI appearance. It was a fitting way to close a career that brought her 3,777 runs in 126 matches at an average above 37, with a strike rate over 100 the highest among Australian batters with significant runs in the format. She finishes with eight ODI centuries, but this one will be remembered differently.
What stands out most about Healyโs ODI career is not just the volume of runs but the way she scored them. She treated 50-over cricket with the urgency of T20s long before it became fashionable. Totals that once seemed out of reach now feel chaseable partly because players like Healy pushed the tempo. Her aggressive starts often meant Australia were ahead of the game inside the first powerplay.
Appointed full-time captain in late 2023 after Meg Lanning stepped aside, Healy brought the same boldness to leadership. She backed youth, trusted her bowlers in attacking fields and rarely allowed games to drift. Even in this series against India after Australia lost the T20I leg 2-1 she ensured her side responded strongly in the ODIs.
Off the field, there was another quiet moment. Cameras briefly showed her husband, Mitchell Starc, in the commentary box as she reached her hundred. He remained composed, but the occasion spoke for itself. Sixteen years in international cricket rarely end on such a high note.
There is still one match left in her international journey the one-off Test in Perth. But as far as ODI cricket is concerned, Hobart was the final chapter. And it was written in boundaries.
Healy did not fade away. She did not slow down. She left the format the same way she played it attacking, unapologetic and in complete control.
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