"The medical staff and the team are going to give her every opportunity and possibility to play" - Perry on Healy's injury ahead of semi-final
Australia women's team are currently fretting over the fitness of skipper Alyssa Healy ahead of their crucial semi-final encounter against South Africa at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday, October 17. The wicketkeeper-batter had sustained a calf injury while running between the wickets during the group-stage encounter against Pakistan.
Tahlia McGrath had led the side in Healy's absence during their final group-stage contest against India in Sharjah. Healy was seen on crutches ahead of the contest, and while she has not been ruled out of the tournament, she has not trained since his injury, making her return for the semi-final doubtful.
“I’ve been really fortunate to be among the group for a period of time now, and I think across the group, we’ve got a broad level of experienced players and leaders. Providing that support to whether it’s Midge (Healy) or Tahlia at different points during matches is something I’ve always done, along with lots of other players. It probably looked a little bit different with not having Midge on the field the other night, but in terms of the messaging and how we spoke, it was all the same," Ellyse Perry told the media ahead of the semi-final clash (via Fox Sports).
“The medical staff and the team are going to give her every opportunity and possibility to play tomorrow night, but I don’t think anything’s changed in that respect. We’ll just have to see in the next 24 hours," she added.
In Healy's absence, Beth Mooney was handed the wicket-keeping duties while Grace Harris was moved to the top of the order.
Australia are unbeaten in the 2024 Women's T20 World Cup so far, beginning their campaign with triumphs over Sri Lanka and New Zealand, and then going on to beat Pakistan and India to amass eight points.
"It was bloody sore at the time" - Australia captain Alyssa Healy on her injury
Alyssa Healy looked in sublime form during the clash against Pakistan before her injury. After starting the campaign with some cameos, and recording 50 runs in three innings, she had hit six boundaries to race off to 37 before disaster struck.
"I’m still in the squad, so I haven’t been replaced and there’s still the chance that I can take part in this tournament. It was bloody sore at the time … as you could probably tell by the extra expression on my face, but it’s play on and hopefully get myself right for either a semi or a final," Healy told the Willow Talk Podcast earlier this week (via Fox Sports).
Australia are on the lookout to win their fourth straight Women's T20 World Cup. After a close win over India, a similar challenge awaits them in the form of a promising South Africa side in a repeat of the 2023 Women's T20 World Cup final.