Published: January 20, 2026 at 5:31 pm
Alyssa Healy, the mainstay of Australia’s dominant women’s cricket team for 15 years, has announced that she will retire from the game after the upcoming multi-format series against India. The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batter was part of two ODI World Cup triumphs and six successful T20 World Cup campaigns before taking over as the skipper of the team after the retirement of Meg Lanning in late 2023. Her departure will leave a vacuum in Aussie women’s cricket that will be hard to fill.
Alyssa and her husband Mitchell Starc are the power couple of modern-day international cricket. But what is a power couple? The Cambridge Dictionary defines a power couple as two people who are married to each other while simultaneously building up their own careers and supporting each other to achieve great heights both individually as well as a couple.
Alyssa and Mitchell have done exactly that, and both have had a huge influence on Australian and world cricket. Alyssa is widely recognised as one of the greatest women cricketers in history. During her 15-year international career, she redefined the women’s game.
They registered a historic feat when they became the first married couple to both win “Player of the Tournament” awards at Cricket World Cups
Alyssa and Mitchell belong to sporting families
The couple have many things going in their favour. Both come from sporting families. Alyssa’s father Ken Healy was a good cricketer. Her uncle is Ian Healy – a star wicket keeper of Aussie teams of the 1990s. Indian fans will remember Ian Healy very well for he was often a thorn in India’s flesh.
Mitchell has a younger brother named Brandon who has taken part in three Olympic Games as a high jumper. He holds the Australian national record in the high jump with a leap of 2.36 metres. Both Mitchell and Alyssa grew up in an atmosphere of sports. They first met as 9-year-old children on the cricket field and as adults got married in 2016 when they were both 26 years old.
Why They’re Called Cricket’s Power Couple
Together, Alyssa and Mitchell are arguably the most decorated couple in cricket history for their combined achievements. They registered a historic feat when they became the first married couple to both win “Player of the Tournament” awards at Cricket World Cups. They have often been seen championing each other’s performances.
Alyssa made her Australia debut in 2010 and played almost continuously for her country till 2025. During this period, she scored over 3,500 ODI runs (with 7 centuries) and more than 3,000 T20I runs. In wicketkeeping she has had 275 dismissals behind the stumps.
Her most iconic performances were her record 170 in the 2022 Women’s World Cup final and multiple World Cup match-winning knocks. She was twice named ICC Women’s T20I Cricketer of the Year; she won the Belinda Clark Award and was named Player of the Tournament in major events. Alyssa’s aggressive batting and dynamic wicketkeeping helped propel Australia into a prolonged period of dominance and inspired a generation of young women cricketers.
Both have left deep marks on Australian cricket. Alyssa has done so through her trailblazing leadership and batting dominance, and Mitchell has done it as the fearsome spearhead of Australia’s bowling attack
Mitchell is mainstay of Australia’s pace attack
As for Alyssa’s husband Mitchell, Indians know him well as one of the most formidable fast bowlers of his generation, known for his lethal pace, deadly yorkers and match-winning spells across formats. He first appeared in international cricket in 2010 (in ODI) and thereafter he has starred for Australia across Test, ODI and T20I formats. He was in the teams that won the 2015 ODI World Cup as well as the 2023 edition. He was the leading wicket-taker in the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.
Now, at the age of 35, Mitchell continues to be a destructive force in the Ashes and other Test series. In the last Ashes series, he bagged the Player of the Series honors in the 2025-26 edition after grabbing 31 wickets. Mitchell’s ability to shine in big matches and across different formats ranging from World Cups to Ashes Tests have cemented his status as one of the premier fast bowlers of modern cricket.
In Test cricket, Mitchell has so far taken 433 wickets and may soon overtake Kapil Dev (434). In ODIs he has 247 wickets and in T20 he has a tally of 98. His grand total is an incredible 778 wickets.
The 2025-26 Ashes series belonged to Mitchell. He is at the age when fast bowlers begin to lose their sting. But Mitchell showed that he still has pace, pride, and determination. He told all of us why cricket needs warriors like him.
The couple’s legacy in Australian cricket
Both have left deep marks on Australian cricket. Alyssa has done so through her trailblazing leadership and batting dominance, and Mitchell has done it as the fearsome spearhead of Australia’s bowling attack.
Beyond the arenas of cricket, they are also role models for aspiring young boys and girls. Alyssa and Mitchell are icons beyond mere numbers. They have helped to develop the game’s popularity and inspired countless young players worldwide.
Their journey from childhood friends to a famous couple in international cricket symbolizes passion and dedication combined with mutual respect for each other’s excellence. Alyssa has announced that she will leave the game soon. Mitchell may do so in the near future. But when they hang up their boots, cricket will be poorer and the game will lose two of its greatest influencers and role models for the young generation.
