Australia's Commonwealth Games prep may have been thwarted by the weather, but their star wicketkeeper-batter believes they got what they needed from the tri-series in Ireland
Healy primed for Edgbaston opener despite Irish deluge
Alyssa Healy admits she managed more time on the golf course than in the middle during Australia's T20I tour of Ireland, but the star wicketkeeper-batter is confident she can quickly hit her straps against India at Edgbaston on Friday.
Healy and her batting counterparts had precious little opportunity during a tri-series that saw two of their four matches washed out, while they took just 12.5 overs to chase 99 in another.
Their best hit-out came batting first against Ireland, when Meg Lanning (74) and Tahlia McGrath (70) helped the Aussies to 4-182.
Getting amongst it in Birmingham! @CommGamesAUS #BoldInGold pic.twitter.com/X9IxHR2V5u
— Australian Women's Cricket Team 🏏 (@AusWomenCricket) July 25, 2022
In all, Australia batted for 37.1 overs across the tri-series, and their final-game washout against Pakistan thwarted plans to switch-up the batting order to hand opportunities to middle-order batters Rachael Haynes and Ashleigh Gardner.
Haynes faced just five balls across the four matches, and Gardner only three, while allrounders Nicola Carey, Annabel Sutherland, Grace Harris and Jess Jonassen did not face a ball.
Opener Healy was dismissed for 10 and one in her first two knocks before finishing unbeaten on 12 when rain ended her third.
"I think I've played more golf than I did batting … (but) I think we will be completely fine," Healy told reporters in Birmingham on Wednesday.
"I think we got what we needed out of that trip although there wasn't a lot of cricket played (and) we're coming in here ready to go.
"From my point of view, to be able to adjust to those slower wickets was a really important thing in itself and then come to Birmingham, where hopefully they'll be a little bit quicker, to make those adjustments (again) will be crucial."
In contrast, Healy's opening partner Beth Mooney - who struck 45no, 9 and 11no across three innings in Ireland - admitted she felt "a little bit underdone" going into the Commonwealth Games.
"We had a couple of wash outs and training, training was a bit washed out as well," Mooney told The Scoop podcast on Wednesday. "We didn't get as much out of it as we wanted, just because of the weather that was around.
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The closest Healy has come to playing at Edgbaston was sitting in the stands during the 2019 men's Ashes watching husband Mitchell Starc playing in the opening Test.
It means she has a fair idea of what the atmosphere could be like, if the anticipated sell-out crowd eventuates for Friday’s opening game against India, but the conditions in the middle remain something of an unknown.
"Tomorrow we're training at Edgbaston, we'll get to have a look at the ground and see what they've prepared," Healy said.
"I did get to watch that last Ashes Test the boys played over here and that was an unbelievable experience for me, to sit there and watch it and cop a bit of a roasting from the crowd.
"So no doubt that'll happen on Friday.
"The whispers are that it's sold out and that's really exciting for our sport ... hopefully India and us are going to put on a good show."
Australia had their first official hit out on Wednesday afternoon at Moseley Cricket Club on the outskirts of Birmingham.
They will have a second and final session at Edgbaston on Thursday morning before their Commonwealth Games opener against India at 11am local time on Friday (8pm AEST).
2022 Commonwealth Games
Australia's squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington
See all the Commonwealth Games cricket squads here
Group A: Australia, India, Pakistan, Barbados
Group B: England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka
July 29: Australia v India (11am local, 8pm AEST)
July 31: Australia v Barbados (6pm local, 3am Aug 1 AEST)
August 3: Australia v Pakistan (11am local, 8pm AEST)
Semi-finals: August 6, 11am local (8pm AEST) and 6pm local (3am Aug 7 AEST)
Bronze medal match: August 7, 10am local (7pm AEST)
Gold medal match: August 7, 5pm local (2am Aug 8 AEST)
All matches played at Edgbaston Stadium