Alyssa Healy and Harmanpreet Kaur (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil) Australia captain Alyssa Healy has spoken out about the heartbreaking semi-final loss to India at the ICC Women’s World Cup, admitting that the defeat in Navi Mumbai still “hurts” and will take time to move on from. India stunned Australia by successfully chasing down 339 – the all-time highest chase in both men’s and women’s World Cup knockout history – before winning the title against South Africa in the final.
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Talk to Cricket Willow Talk podcast, Healy said she was proud of her team’s campaign but couldn’t shake the pain of falling short against India. “I’m not going to lie, I was better,” she said. “We played some really incredible cricket over the course of seven weeks, but we couldn’t overcome that Indian hurdle. It’s disappointing, but I’m excited about what this team can do next cycle.” Healy admitted that Australia abandoned runs on the field despite posting 338, with Phoebe Litchfield scoring her maiden World Cup century. “I actually thought we were a little under par. When Pez (Ellyse Perry) and Phoebe were hitting, we were looking at 350 plus. If we moved up there, it could have been the difference,” she said. Healy reflected on why the loss hurt so much, saying it was because the team performed at such a high level during the tournament. “Everybody contributed, everybody played their hearts out and we just had half the night off in an elimination game. It’s sad we don’t have a trophy for that.” Healy also explained how the conditions at the DY Patil Stadium played a role, revealing that the red-soil pitch behaved differently under the lights. “The wicket was slower at the start and started to slide quite a bit under the lights. We probably weren’t quick enough to adjust to the ball and missed a bit of length at the back,” she said. Jemimah Rodrigues’ two dropped catches to remain unbeaten on 127 proved costly. Healy also recalled her own dismissal during a chaotic phase affected by lighting issues. “There was a lot going on around the screen and the lights. It was frustrating. If I had waited a minute longer, we would have walked off the field and come back again,” she said. Despite the disappointment, Healy praised India for their composure and called the win a great moment for the global game. “India got over the line and it’s great for women’s cricket. It’s going to haunt me for a while but that’s okay,” she concluded.
