Healy Tweaks Wicketkeeping Technique Ahead of World Cup Return

Australia captain Alyssa Healy has made key technical adjustments to her wicketkeeping style in a bid to manage the physical toll on her body and prolong her career, as she eyes a full return behind the stumps for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Healy, who hasn’t kept in a competitive match since the ODI leg of the Ashes in January, has been recovering from recurring foot and knee injuries that also cut short her WBBL season. With the World Cup looming in late September, she will return to wicketkeeping duties during Australia A’s series against India A in August.

At a media event in Sydney, Healy revealed she’s been working on a more efficient keeping posture — starting in a slightly more upright position — to reduce stress on her joints.

“We’ve been taught how to wicketkeep a certain way in this country for an extended period,” Healy said. “At the end of the day, it’s not overly efficient on our bodies, and doing it at 35 is not ideal.”

She described the modified stance as a “hybrid technique” that merges traditional Australian and English methods. While the changes might not be obvious to spectators, they are aimed at helping her ageing body cope better with the demands of elite cricket.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Healy likened the change to how Cristiano Ronaldo altered his playing style in the latter stages of his career. “One of the podiatrists actually said to me that when Ronaldo started to get older, they changed positions for him. I said, well, how do we do that in cricket? You can’t really change positions, but can we change things technically to be more efficient?”

She continued: “Traditionally, we’ve all been taught to stay low and come up with the ball, but that’s not ideal when your knees and feet don’t allow it anymore. So now I’m working on reaching my power position in a different way.”

Healy hopes her keeping comeback during the Australia A series will confirm the new method's viability ahead of the World Cup. “I’ll get a red-hot crack at it in the ODI fixtures in that A-series, so we’ll get a better look at how things are working,” she said. “My goal is to be there and playing in the World Cup as a wicketkeeper.”

As defending champions, Australia will begin their World Cup preparation with three ODIs against India before heading into the main tournament. However, fans back home won’t see the national side in action until mid-February 2026 due to scheduling changes, including the Women’s Premier League (WPL) now fixed in the January window.

Australia’s next home series will be against India and will include three T20Is, three ODIs, and a pink-ball Test at the WACA in Perth.

“Not having an international fixture in the school holiday period does hurt a little bit,” Healy admitted. “But in saying that, it kind of extends the cricket season, which isn’t completely a bad thing for our sport.”

She’s also looking forward to the day-night Test. “Hopefully we get a nice fast, bouncy wicket, and we can show the Indians how good our pace stocks are,” she said.

With fitness regimens adjusted and technical tweaks in place, Healy is determined to lead from the front as Australia chases another world title — this time on the subcontinent.