After Australia women’s cricket team captain Alyssa Healy announced her shocking retirement earlier this month, with the wicketkeeper-batter set to draw curtains on her two-decade-long career at the end of the home summer. Cricket Australia is all set to announce its new all-format captain.
Molineux to succeed Healy as Australia’s all-format captain
The announcement hasn’t been made yet, but according to CODE Sports, Sophie Molineux is set to be Healy’s successor. Molineux is the captain of the Melbourne Renegades Women in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) and has been leading the side since 2021. She also led her WBBL side to their title triumph in the 2024-25 edition. Moreover, Sophie Molineux’s reported appointment comes as a bit of a surprise, with vice-captain Tahila McGrath not being promoted to the helm.
The reports surfaced only days after Healy announced that she’ll be retiring from international cricket with the home series against India, scheduled for February-March. Healy took over the reins from legendary Meg Lanning. Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, Healy said, “It’s been a long time coming.”
“The last few years has been probably more mentally draining than anything else. A few injuries. I’ve got to dive into the well, and the well is getting less and less full of water. 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,” Healy had said.
Healy’s decision came after she evaluated her performance in the WBBL.
