No rest, no worries for red-hot Healy

It’s been non-stop cricket for Alyssa Healy since the start of the Ashes and the months ahead promise to be even busier, but if the demanding schedule is starting to wear on Australia’s wicketkeeper it has yet to show.

Healy’s purple patch with the bat is almost two years long now and her Caribbean runs-fest continued on Monday as she stroked an unbeaten 58 from 33 balls to deliver Australia a T20I series win with one game to play.

It was her third 50-plus knock from four innings on this tour of the West Indies and follows her player-of-the-tournament showing in the same region in last November’s T20 World Cup.

Her performances have come hot off the heels of a gruelling six-week, all-formats Ashes campaign in England, which was followed by her first appearance in England’s domestic T20 Super League.

That campaign for Yorkshire Diamonds came while the remainder of her teammates spent their post-Ashes, pre-West Indies break on home soil, but Healy believes the non-stop schedule is working in her favour.

"I’m (feeling) good, it helps when you can laze around on the beach all day and drink some mocktails," Healy said following Monday’s nine-wicket win. 

"I’m enjoying my time here, it’s been a busy couple of months but I made that decision to play the extra cricket and I think it’s benefited me

"Hopefully it will (continue) long term."

Healy’s unbeaten 58 followed knocks of 122, 58, 61 and 12 on this tour to date – although the 29-year-old wicketkeeper-batter was not convinced it was one of her more fluent knocks.

"It felt very ugly, let me tell you," she said.

"It was one of the more ugly innings that I’ll have, but to get a win, that’s what really matters and hopefully we get a nice true wicket in a couple of days’ time and we can make a big total if need be."

Australia will play the final T20I of their limited-overs tour of the West Indies at Barbados’ Kensington Oval on Wednesday, before setting off on the long journey home.

There, the national squad will have five days at home before reconvening in Sydney for a T20I series against Sri Lanka, which will see three matches played across four days at North Sydney Oval, ahead of a three-game ODI series in Brisbane.

The first stand-alone season of the WBBL starts a mere 10 days following the final one-dayer, while the summer will culminate in a T20I tri-series featuring India and England ahead of the T20 World Cup next February and March. 

It’s daunting, but Healy says the Australian group is learning to adjust to the demands of their year to date.

"I’m looking forward to finishing this series and getting home and getting stuck into the Sri Lanka series as well," Healy said.

"I think it’s becoming more and more important for us (to manage our downtime).

"We’re learning on our feet how to be professional cricketers and playing around the world quite frequently, but the girls are getting a lot better at managing their down time."

Australia will look to complete an unbeaten tour of the West Indies in Wednesday’s final T20I at Kensington Oval from 7pm local time (9am Thursday AEDT).

Fans in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea can stream the series live and free on cricket.com.au and the CA Live App, while fans elsewhere can watch on the West Indies Cricket YouTube channel.

CommBank Tour of the West Indies

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

West Indies ODI squad: Stafanie Taylor (c), Hayley Matthews (vc), Reniece Boyce, Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, Shamilia Connell, Stacy Ann King, Natasha McLean, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Anisa Mohammed, Karishma Ramharack, Shabika Gajnabi

One-Day Internationals*
*ICC Women's Championship matches

First ODI: Australia won by 178 runs

Second ODI: Australia won by 151 runs

Third ODI: Australia won by eight wickets

Twenty20 Internationals

First T20: Australia won by six wickets

September 16: Australia won by nine wickets

September 18: Third T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados