Alyssa Healy dudded in 'disgraceful' moment in women's cricket Test against India
The new Australian women's cricket captain got off to a shaky start on day one in Mumbai.
Alyssa Healy's legacy as the new Australian women's cricket captain has got off to a shaky start after she fell victim to a shocking pitch on day one of Australia's one-off Test match against India. On Thursday the up-and-down surface at the Wankhede Stadium copped vast criticism as it offered shockingly limited bounce.
This was evident when the Aussie captain was clean bowled trying to sweep Deepti Sharma with the ball skidding through at ankle height. Her dismissal was the beginning of the end for Australia who were all out for 219, marking Australia's lowest ever Test total against India.
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The hosts finished 1-98 at stumps, in a day where the main talking point was a pitch that was playing more like a day four or five wicket. Social media was outraged at the deck, saying for Healy's dismissal the ball basically rolled before cleaning up the stumps.
The surface in Mumbai came under the microscope before the Cricket World Cup semi-final between India and New Zealand after it was switched out. However, the games played at Wankhede Stadium during the tournament were known for their high totals and suiting a pace bowling attack, something completely opposite to the conditions seen on Thursday.
Healy's captaincy choices also came into question on day one as in the field she turned to her quicks on a pitch offering a lot of turn and little bounce. Despite the uneven bounce of the wicket the Aussie seamers were unable to trouble the Indians, as the hosts took a commanding position in the one-off Test.
It should not be a surprise if this Wankhede pitch gets a Below Average rating.#INDvAUS | #CricketTwitter
— Hemant Brar (@HemantBrar_) December 21, 2023
Balls rolling on a day one pitch...#INDvAUS
— Tim Michell (@tim_michell) December 21, 2023
Jesus, Healy getting bowled sweeping a grubber is not a great omen on day 1 for this pitch that's crazy #AUSvsIND
— Monstera Mash (@GiaccAttack) December 21, 2023
Think it bounced twice
— The Dish King (@thedishking1) December 21, 2023
Another disgraceful pitch prepared for a game in India. When will the ICC finally stand up to the BCCI. Cannot have a ball roll on day 1. #INDvAUS
— Great Man Chris (@Chris_Ilsley882) December 21, 2023
Alyssa Healy proud to have honour of captaining Australia
Before the match, Healy spoke on the honour of replacing Meg Lanning as captain of the national side. "It is unbelievably huge shoes to fill, in replacing Meg Lanning," Healy said. "The success she had not only as a player but also the leader of the Australian cricket team is fairly unmatched in the men's and the women's game. Big shoes to fill on my part but it is a challenge that's really exciting to me.
"My approach to it is about taking this group on the next chapter. We've built an amazing legacy over the last 10 years with Meg, Rach and Matthew Mott but we've had a lot of change over the last 12-18 months within our squad and around our team as well so there's opportunity to create something new and give the floor to the next generation of players to leave their mark. It's something I am really looking forward to, so bring it on."
The match against India was Healy's first game back in two months after being bitten by one of her dogs on her right index finger. The Australian captain had to undergo surgery on her finger after picking up the injury.
“I’ve got two puppy dogs, who were having a bit of a rough and tumble,” Healy said on the injury. “It got a little bit more than that, and I unfortunately got my hand in the wrong place at the wrong time. My right index finger took a bit of a battering. That’s basically all there is to it. It’s not all that exciting. There doesn’t need to be any more detail than that."
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