Michael Clarke says Alyssa Healy is as good as her male counterparts, praises her leadership
Healy 'as good as anyone in Australia'
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has declared Alyssa Healy one of the best wicketkeepers in the country, male or female.
Report & Highlights: Southern Stars v NZ in Geelong
Healy's sharp glovework has been on display during the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars' current series against New Zealand, with the Aussies picking a spin-heavy bowling attack in the first two matches of the series.
The 26-year-old completed two stumpings in Geelong on Sunday and was near flawless behind the stumps, prompting Clarke to declare her glovework as good as anyone's in Australia.
Clarke also had high praise for Healy's captaincy after she took over as skipper of the Sydney Sixers in the recent Rebel Women's Big Bash League following an injury to Ellyse Perry.
"She's as good a wicketkeeper as anybody in the country ... men or women," Clarke said during Wide World of Sports' coverage of the match.
"I think she's an absolute superstar.
"The other thing about her is she's a very good leader. The Sydney Sixers obviously won the competition in the WBBL and she took over the captaincy for the semi-final and final.
"I watched the final of that and I thought she was brilliant the way she used her spinners and backed her bowlers. She's an underrated captain as well."
Healy completed a competition high 17 dismissals in 16 matches during the WBBL, including eight stumpings.
Three of her stumpings came when keeping up to the stumps to pace bowler Sarah Aley, including two down the leg side, and Healy also channeled Indian great MS Dhoni by producing a look-away flick behind her back to run out Holly Ferling in a match against the Brisbane Heat.
"Sarah would like to say it is planned, but it's not," Healy told cricket.com.au this week of her partnership with Aley.
"She gets some good shape on the ball and every now and then she slides one down leg side.
"I guess it’s a sign of whether they're going in well or not that I glove them. It has become a bit of a thing.
"They're seeming to go in okay at the minute and hopefully that continues and I keep doing my job."