Healy and McGrath Gear Up for Historic Women’s Ashes Day-Night Test at MCG

Australian skipper Alyssa Healy and vice-captain Tahlia McGrath, who played for the Northern Superchargers and Southern Brave respectively in previous seasons of The Hundred, are among the most notable absences from this year’s edition. They have opted to focus on preparations for the T20 World Cup and the Ashes next year.

While many of their national teammates, including batter Phoebe Litchfield, all-rounders Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Ash Gardner, Jess Jonassen, and leg-spinner Alana King have chosen to participate in The Hundred following a long off-season (Australia’s last tour was in March against Bangladesh), Healy and McGrath have decided to spend more time at home.

Six months from today, the multi-format women’s Ashes will begin with a historic day-night Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Before that, there will be a home T20I series against New Zealand, the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, the 10th edition of the Women’s Big Bash League, and ODI series against both New Zealand (away) and India (at home), in what will be a jam-packed summer.

The Women’s Ashes gets underway on January 12 with an ODI at North Sydney Oval and concludes on February 2 with the final day of the Pink-ball Test.

Australian Skipper Alyssa Healy told the cricket.com.au at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, reflecting on her recent break, mentioning she needed time to heal some niggles and spend time at home. She acknowledged underestimating the demands of captaincy and emphasized the importance of resetting and refocusing both physically and mentally. Now, she’s eager for the upcoming season and glad she took the chance to step away momentarily.

Healy said, “I think I probably also underestimated just what I was getting myself into in the captaincy department, so for me to take a little opportunity to reset and probably refocus as well and get myself right physically and mentally, was probably the most important thing.”

Similar to skipper Healy, Australia’s vice-captain Tahlia McGrath is focused on being fit and ready for the pink-ball Test at the MCG. Before the 2024-25 cricket season, McGrath will begin her World Cup preparation by leading Australia A in a one-day and T20 series against India A in Brisbane next month.

Tahlia added by saying, “Bank as much time at home as possible.”

Tahlia, who has yet to play international cricket at the MCG, earned a recall to the national setup in late 2020, six months after Australia defeated India in the T20 World Cup final in front of 86,174 fans at the same venue. McGrath expressed her satisfaction with having an extended preseason for the first time in about four or five years, which has allowed her to reset and come back fresh.

She highlighted the importance of this period to prepare for the busy upcoming schedule, which includes a World Cup and an Ashes series. McGrath emphasized the significance of playing a Test match at the MCG, considering it a career highlight, and stressed the importance of taking the season series-by-series without looking too far ahead.

McGrath mentioned, ” I’m trying not to look too far ahead and just taking it series by series. Test match cricket at the MCG is probably the pinnacle, and to hopefully be able to play one here will be a highlight in my career.”

Healy mentioned that she believes both Australia and their fans have something to prove in the upcoming multi-format series. Last year in England, the hosts staged a remarkable comeback, recovering from a 6-0 deficit in the points-based series to win four of the final five white-ball games, resulting in an 8-8 tie. While a draw allowed Australia to retain the Ashes, Healy is aiming for a stronger performance on home soil this time.

She further reflected on the mixed feelings after winning the trophy, acknowledging the satisfaction but also a sense of disappointment for not securing a definitive victory. She viewed the moment as a crucial opportunity for the team to reset and evolve. Healy noted that the team has since changed its approach to the game, expressing excitement about the potential and future performances following the lessons learned from the Ashes series.

Healy said, “It was cool to come away with the trophy, but also a bit flat at the end of the day to feel like we could have won it properly.”

The 2023 series in the UK saw record attendances at iconic venues like Lord’s, The Oval, and Edgbaston. With this summer’s Women’s Ashes taking place at some of Australia’s biggest venues, such as the Sydney Cricket Ground and Adelaide Oval for the T20Is, and the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Test, Alyssa Healy commented on the intensity of the crowds during their UK tour, noting that Aussie fans might underestimate just how hostile they were, especially after the infamous Bairstow stumping incident.

She highlighted the enthusiasm of English supporters and expressed “You know what, we’ve got our cricketers’ backs as well” and hoped that Australian fans would similarly back their cricketers during the upcoming summer. Healy emphasized the importance of strong local support and expressed her desire to see large crowds at cricket matches throughout the season.

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