Alyssa Healy (Getty Images) NEW DELHI: Australia captain Alyssa Healy was emotional as she admitted that this Women’s World Cup semi-final was likely to be her last appearance in the 50-over format, moments after India stunned the defending champions with a record chase at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday night.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!After the five-wicket defeat, Healy praised her team’s spirit and consistency throughout the tournament, but admitted they failed to capitalize on key moments that could have turned the game in their favour.
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“I think everyone has contributed beautifully during this tournament. So it’s probably really disappointing to be standing here now,” Healy said. “We created enough. We created pressure. We created opportunities. We just couldn’t capitalize on them.”When asked about Australia’s plans for the next ODI World Cup cycle, Healy’s response came with a bittersweet smile. “I won’t be there! Oh, I guess that’s the beauty of this next cycle. We’ll see how it unfolds,” she said, confirming her intention to step away from the one-day format. “Obviously there’s the T20 World Cup in the middle of next year, which will be really exciting for our group as well. But I think our one-day cricket will probably move on a bit again.”One of Australia’s modern greats, Healy leaves behind an impressive legacy. She scored 3,563 runs in 123 ODIs at an average of 35.98 and a strike rate of 99.72, including seven hundreds and 18 fifties. Her current World Cup campaign – 299 runs in five matches at an average of 74.75 with two hundreds – has been a reminder of her enduring class.Healy’s remarks came after India, powered by Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 127 and Harmanpreet Kaur’s 89, completed a record-breaking chase of 339 to dismiss the seven-time champions. Phoebe Litchfield’s 119 and Ellyse Perry’s 77 had earlier lifted Australia to 338, but it was not enough on a night that marked the end of an era – and the beginning of a new one – for Australian women’s cricket.
