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Australia veteran Alyssa Healy is set to retire from international cricket after leading her side for the last time in a one-off Pink-Ball Test match against India, starting Friday at the WACA Stadium in Perth. The match also marks the first-ever Pink-Ball Women's Test match at this iconic venue.
Reflecting on her cricketing journey, Healy said, "I got a little emotional writing Lucy Hamilton's cap presentation. That kind of reaffirmed to me that it's hard work getting your cap and debuting for Australia. How lucky I've been for 16 years to have done that. Probably taken it for granted at times, so writing somebody else's speech was a nice little moment to check in with myself and go, "This is really special," according to ESPNcricinfo. Healy presented the 19-year-old Lucy Hamilton with her maiden cap during the third ODI against India in Hobart last Sunday. Australia won the match by 185 runs, completing a clean sweep of the ODI series after losing the T20I series 1-2. Looking ahead to her final Test, the 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batter said, "I genuinely don't think there'll be any sadness. I'm just really excited for life after cricket, and I'm really grateful for the experience that I've had so far. We'll wait and see what unfolds next, which is more exciting than anything else." Australia will enter the match having already secured an 8-4 lead in the multi-format series. Two points are earned for a win in a white-ball match, and four points are awarded for a victory in a Test match. India women can still level the series with a win in the Test match. "I'm not going out there to make a duck," Healy grinned while reacting to her preparations for the match. "If three figures come up, then so be it. At the end of the day, I just want to contribute to team success and what that looks like...we'll wait and see." Australia's captain also expressed her excitement for the four-day Test, saying, "I'm just really excited for what's going to be a cracking four days of cricket. Whatever happens will happen. I'm very aware that not everyone retires on their own terms. This is a really cool opportunity to retire at home and in a baggy green." The Pink-Ball Test concludes the multi-format series between the two rivals. While Australia only needs a draw to secure overall series honours, India will look to replicate their historic first-ever Test win against Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in December 2023. (ANI)
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