Women’s Ashes MCG Test an exciting prospect for Australian captain Alyssa Healy

Australia captain Alyssa Healy says the Women’s Ashes day-night Test is unlikely to break any new attendance records but looks forward to continuing to try new things to grow the game.

Healy spoke to ABC Sport two weeks before the first game of the multi-format series and just over a month before the day-night Test begins at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to conclude the Ashes.

The last time a pink-ball Test took place in a Women’s Ashes series was in 2017, when Ellyse Perry scored a double century in front of a few thousand spectators at the suburban North Sydney Oval.

The Fig Tree Lane venue may have been closer to capacity than the 100,000-seat MCG will be for the 2025 edition, but Healy said she would rather try something new and exciting than play it safe.

“We’re fully aware that 87,000 people aren’t going to come through the gates every day, but (someone) asked me, ‘Would you rather play in front of 4,000 people in North Sydney or challenge the norm and play there?’ MCG and see how many we can get?'” she told ABC Sport on day three of the men’s Boxing Day Test.

“Definitely the MCG. We grew up watching Test cricket like everyone else and wanted to run out in our baggy greens.”

“So, having this opportunity is really cool.”

Healy and the women’s team are no strangers to attracting a crowd to the G, having won the T20 World Cup in 2020 in front of 86,174 fans.

The last time Australia’s women played a Test at the MCG was in 1949, meaning the first day of the Test will be exactly 76 years after the third day of the match against England.

In this three-Test series, Betty Wilson was the top run-scorer for Australia and the wicket-taker for both teams.

Healy said she recently donned Wilson’s game gear for a promotional shoot and it was a good reminder of how far the game has come.

“The culottes are no more, and the long socks – I can say that for sure (uniforms have come a long way),” she said.

“I can’t imagine bending over behind the stumps wearing that… thank God we look more like cricketers now. Also a lot more sun protection, which is good.”

The 34-year-old has not had to go behind the stumps of late, having missed three ODIs against India due to a knee injury before returning to play against New Zealand, but not as wicketkeeper.

Healy said she planned to wear the gloves for the Governor General’s XI match against England on January 9, three days before the first 50-over game of the Ashes.