
It has been announced that Australian wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy will not be a part of the 2025 Women’s Premier League as she is suffering from a right leg stress injury. While that is a setback for Healy, now 35 years of age, she has also left question marks about her international cricket future post-ODI World Cup later this year in India.
Struggling with a series of injuries over the past few months, Healy is now focusing on recovery and managing her body for the challenges ahead.
Injury Concerns Lead to WPL Absence
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Healy’s decision to skip the 2025 WPL comes as a result of the ongoing stress injury in her right leg, which has caused significant concern. This injury is part of an ongoing battle Healy has engaged in with regard to injuries over the past year. One of her most significant injuries occurred during the T20 World Cup in October 2024, when she broke a bone in her foot. This injury meant she would have to miss Australia’s final group match and their semifinal against South Africa.
In addition to missing the WPL, Healy will also be out of the three-match T20 series for Australia against New Zealand, starting just two days before the final of the WPL in March. These have been two disappointments for Healy, as she continues to fight injuries that have kept her out of cricket for much of the past couple of months.
Changes Made During Women’s Ashes

Healy’s fitness issues are visible in the Women’s Ashes series where Australia had to alter the lineup due to her limited involvement, when though Healy passed the itch fitness test, her role was to be fit while assuming her condition: she entered the middle order so that Beth Mooney could give adequate time to wicketkeeping.
Meanwhile, Georgia Wareham batted at the top, and Talia McGrath, from the injured list of Ellyse Perry, was pushed down to No. 8 in the batting order. Shealy managed to score 34 runs in one of the Ashes ODIs without aggravating her injury; however, her absence in the WPL is such a major concern.
Future After the ODI World Cup – Uncertain
Healy hasn’t spoken much about what is next for her after the ODI World has remained quiet about her plans, she said she had “some thoughts” but wouldn’t say any more, which fueled speculation that she may choose to retire from international after the 2023-24 season. She has been one of the most significant players in Australia over the past ten years, so any retirement decision would have a lot to say for the team and sport.
Healy admitted that her recent injuries have taken a toll both physically and emotionally. “Unfortunately, I’ve got a few months off, so I am quite disappointed with that. But at the same time, I am also happy to get a bit of time and try to get my body right,” she said. She also acknowledged the frustration of constantly recovering from injuries, noting that every time she healed from one, another issue arose.
Concentrating on Recovery and Building Towards the World Cup
Indeed, Healy, despite these injuries, major concentration was more on the aspect of recovery as the ODI World Cup approaches. “I’ll just take a look at a few things and see how I can get better, maybe be a little bit more disciplined in a few areas and make sure I’m ready to go, especially for that ODI World Cup,” she said. She also realizes that a lack of match play during the winter months might prove to be a challenge for her and her teammates as they look to remain in top form before the World Cup.
Healy is still positive about her recovery and wants to be fully fit for the World Cup. In a lighter vein, she quipped that she was looking forward to “putting my foot in an ice bucket for a little while,” acknowledging the hard work ahead to regain full fitness.
Ongoing Injury Struggles
Healy has had ongoing injury issues and varied. After the foot injury during the T20 World Cup, she also suffered a knee injury early in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) season, which caused her to miss the remainder of the competition as well as the ODI series against India. Healy played some specialist batting for the ODI series against New Zealand in December, but it was not until she had fully regained fitness that she resumed her wicketkeeping duties in the Ashes series.
In spite of these jitters, Healy will look to put past controversies behind her and be one of the stars of the upcoming World Cup for Australia. Her batting skills, experience, and the leadership she presents for Australia will largely be factors that determine the success of the team, so long as she is fit in time for the World Cup.
A Critical Year: Healy
The immediate concern for Healy is rehabilitation into full fitness as she ventures into an uncertain future post-World Cup. One of the biggest challenges that will face will be the ODI World Cup of 2025 in October. She looks to come back strong from the international cricket scene. But there is still much uncertainty about her beyond the tournament; the decision that she will be taking after the end of the World Cup can well be crucial and pivotal for both her and Australian cricket.
For now, Healy is focusing on regaining her health, and the final ambition left is to help Australia win the World Cup. Time will tell if it’s going to be the last international tournament or the beginning of a new journey.