WOMEN’S WORLD CUP | Australia aims to cope with Alyssa’s absence against England

There is never a good time for a team to lose its captain, opening batter and wicketkeeper to injury. For Australia to miss Alyssa Healy’s multifaceted services due to a calf strain for the Women’s World Cup clash against old rival England at the Holkar Stadium here on Wednesday — although both teams have already qualified for the semifinals — is a particularly cruel blow.

Besides the fact that Alyssa, the heartbeat of this Australian outfit, dons various hats, she has been in sensational form with the bat recently. The 35-year-old’s last two appearances, against Bangladesh and India in Visakhapatnam, yielded sublime hundreds.

Ashleigh Gardner, left, and Tahlia McGrath during a practice session ahead of the World Cup match between Australia and England at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
R.V. Moorthy

In light of the star player’s injury, suffered during a training session on Saturday, the defending champion will have to shuffle its resources against Nat Sciver-Brunt’s team. Tahlia McGrath will take the mantle of leadership in Alyssa’s absence. At the top of the order, 22-year-old Georgia Voll is expected to fill in.

“It’s unfortunate for Alyssa with a slight calf strain. Voll has filled that role before. She is the obvious choice, but we’ve got depth in our batting, so there are some opportunities outside of that as well,” Australia coach Shelley Nitschke told reporters on Tuesday.

Australia’s Darcie Brown, centre, and Georgia Wareham, right during a training session ahead of their World Cup match against England at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
R.V. Moorthy

Despite the setback, the girls in canary yellow and green will start as the favourite. While both sides are identically placed in the points table with four wins in five matches (one no-result each), Australia dominated the 2024-25 Women’s Ashes at home with a perfect 7-0 record across the three formats.

England’s opening batter and wicketkeeper Amy Jones, however, felt much water has flown under the bridge since that series. “It hasn’t been a topic of discussion. It’s fairly easy to look past the Ashes because a lot of changes have happened since then. Tournament cricket is a bit different on the whole,” Jones said.