Mitchell Starc's Hilarious Roast of Wife Alyssa Healy After Rare Bowl in Final ODI
Mitchell Starc cheekily roasted his wife, Alyssa Healy, after the retiring cricket champion had a rare bowl in the final one-day international of her glittering career. Healy, who bowed out in style with a brilliant century, was given the opportunity to bowl for the first time in her international career during Australia's series-clinching victory over India at Bellerive Oval.
Healy's Stellar Batting Performance
The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batter delivered an imperious 158 runs, which stands as the highest women's one-day score against India and the highest women's one-day international innings in Australia. Her masterclass included 27 fours and two sixes off just 98 balls, marking her eighth one-day international century. This equalled Karen Rolton's tally and placed her behind only Meg Lanning's 15 centuries among Australian players.
Fellow wicketkeeper Beth Mooney also contributed with an unbeaten ton as Australia amassed 7-409, their highest domestic score and only three runs short of the overall record. Healy's innings was particularly remarkable as she started cramping in the 80s, but that only seemed to fuel her determination further.
Starc's Perfect Five-Word Response
With the game firmly in hand, Australia decided to give Healy a bowl, much to the delight of the crowd. However, her first ball was short and wide, easily dispatched for a boundary by Indian batter Sneh Rana. Husband Mitchell Starc, one of Australia's greatest fast bowlers, was in the Channel 7 commentary booth at the time and could be seen shaking his head before delivering a perfect five-word response.
"Not that easy, is it?" he quipped, sending fellow commentators Jason Richardson and Elyse Villani into hysterics. Healy later joked about the experience, saying, "It didn't take much to get talked into bowling—I heard my name mentioned once and I said 'righto'."
Healy's Bowling Figures and Farewell
Despite the rocky start, Healy recovered to concede only two runs from the remaining five balls in her first over. She returned for a second over but failed to take a wicket, finishing her career with bowling figures of 0-12 from two overs. While there was no fairytale wicket, her farewell century more than made up for it.
Reflecting on her career, Healy expressed mixed emotions, stating, "What a ridiculous sport that we play, that it can kick you down so many times and then give you opportunities like it has today. I've hated every milestone match, so today was just an opportunity to go out and enjoy it. It was one of the more enjoyable experiences I've had, so thanks to the cricket gods for that, it was a nice way to sign off in the yellow."
India's Response and Series Outcome
The Indians formed a guard of honour for Healy's last ODI innings, with the opener retiring from all cricket after next week's Perth Test. In response to Australia's massive total, India made a quick start to their run chase but lost key wickets early and were never seriously in contention. They were bowled out for 224 in 45.1 overs, giving Australia a 185-run win and an unbeatable lead in the multi-format series.
Healy was eventually bowled trying a trick shot off an innocuous full toss from Sneh Rana, just 12 runs shy of her highest one-day international score. Nonetheless, her performance cemented her legacy as one of Australia's cricketing greats, with Starc's light-hearted roast adding a memorable personal touch to her farewell.
