"A pioneer of sport": Ian Healy pays tribute to retiring champion

Australian cricketing great Alyssa Healy has pin pointed the moment she realised she had "lost her edge" and knew it was time to call time.

The 35-year-old confirmed she would be retiring on her podcast Willow Talk saying her final outing in the green and gold will be in the forthcoming series against India which concludes in early March.

"It's with mixed emotions that the upcoming India series will be my last for Australia," Healy said.

"I'm still passionate about playing for Australia, but I've somewhat lost that competitive edge that's kept me driven since the start, so the time feels right to call it a day.

"Knowing I won't be going to the T20 World Cup this year and the limited preparation time the team has, I won't be part of the T20s against India, but I'm excited to have the opportunity to finish my career and captain the ODI and Test side at home against India – one of the biggest series on the calendar for us.

"I'll genuinely miss my teammates, singing the team song and walking out to open the batting for Australia. Representing my country has been an incredible honour and I'm grateful for one last series in the green and gold."

Healy has struggled with injuries in recent years, most recently, a stress fracture to her thumb delayed her WBBL season getting started. She was also forced to sit out two ODI World Cup group matches with a calf issue.

"The last few years have been probably more mentally draining than anything else," Healy said.

"A few injuries, (I had) to dive into the well a couple of times and that well was getting less and less full of water, so it was getting harder to dive back in there.

"I've always felt like I've had a competitive edge in that I want to compete, I want to win and I want to challenge myself on the park. I've felt as I've got a little bit older, I've not necessarily lost all of it, but I've lost some of that.

"I think the WBBL (last year) was probably a bit of a wake-up call. Not being able to hold the bat with two hands didn't help either but waking up and going, 'just another day of cricket', really surprised myself because I still thought I loved playing the game.

"I never really wanted to do it like this; I never wanted to announce it. I just wanted to get to the end of the Test match and hang up my boots and celebrate."

Paying tribute to his niece, former Australian cricketer and SEN Q's Ian Healy said she had changed the landscape of women's sport.

She has always been a star," he said. "She’s a pioneer of the superstardom with Elyse Perry. Both of them were high level performers.

"Cricket were lucky to get her and keep her so long. Cricket in the 70s was big, then it stalled in the 80s and these two girls have brought it back strong."