Australia captain makes competitive return ahead of World Cup
A solid return from injury for Alyssa Healy as she continues to push towards this year's 50-over World Cup.
Australia skipper Alyssa Healy played her first competitive match in more than six months as she continues her recovery from injury ahead of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup later this year.
Healy turned out for Australia A in T20I contest against India A in Queensland and the experienced keeper-batter showed glimpses of her best in the 13-run victory by scoring 27 from just 18 deliveries.
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It was Healy's first proper hitout since she featured in the one-off Test against England at the MCG at the end of February, with the 35-year-old having battled a knee injury in recent times while trying to get fit for this year's 50-over World Cup that commences on September 30 in India and Sri Lanka.
Healy hit five boundaries during her brief stay at the crease against India A in Mackay and the right-hander was thrilled to make a successful return to action and contribute towards a victory for her side.
"(I got) off to a good start ... another disappointing dismissal, but that's OK," Healy told reporters after the game.
"I've done a lot of hitting in the nets, and haven't really had any time out in the middle for a long period of time, so it was nice to just get back out there, and hopefully the decision making will start kicking back in at some point."
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Healy will continue her return from injury while playing as a batter only in the remaining two T20I matches against India A and will take the gloves as keeper for the ODI portion of the series in Brisbane later this month.
If the recovery goes as planned then Healy will play a crucial role in trying to help Australia win an eighth 50-over World Cup title later this year, but for the time being the experienced captain is focused on taking small steps and spending some more time in the middle for Australia A.
"Throughout all the injuries and whatnot, I actually was hitting the ball really well," Healy said.
"I was actually probably batting as well as what I had for a period of time.
"So I didn't really feel like any technical changes needed to be made, it was just having some time out in the middle.
"Decision making is a big part of the game, and you don't really know if you're hitting or missing until you're out there in the middle.
"So that's what these games are for and hopefully I can rectify that."