Healy hopeful of India tour despite needing surgery for ‘quite gory’ hand injury from dog attack
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Alyssa Healy is hopeful of being fit for Australia’s tour of India after surgery for a gory index finger injury suffered when she put her hand between her two dogs as they were fighting.
Healy was rushed to hospital on Saturday night after picking up the bizarre injury to her right index finger thanks to her two Staffordshire bull terriers.
Australia’s stand-in captain admitted she had initially feared the worst, but she is now hopeful of returning later in the WBBL for the Sydney Sixers.
That would put her on track for Australia’s multi-format tour of India, which is expected to begin with a day-night Test on December 21.
“The positive sign out of it is there was no bone or tendon damage, or a rupture. That’s the best news possible,” Healy told reporters in a video press conference from her home.
“I think there was an artery involved which probably made it look more like a crime scene than it needed to be. It was quite gory.
“When I pulled my finger out initially, I thought I was in strife. But it’s all gone smoothly at the moment.
“I’d say it’s shorter term more than long term at the moment, the way people are talking.”
Healy will meet surgeons again on Thursday, and expects to have a clearer picture on the injury then.
Australia’s captain through the most recent Ashes and series against West Indies, Healy is expected to return to the deputy role if Meg Lanning makes her national comeback in India.
If neither are available, Tahlia McGrath would likely take the reins.
Healy’s injury is on the opposite index finger to the one fractured twice in June and July on Australia’s tour of England and Ireland. The wicketkeeper’s pain adds to the inglorious list of off-field injuries for cricketers in recent years.
Ex-Sixers teammate Dane Van Niekerk missed part of the 2021-22 WBBL after slicing her finger cutting an avocado.
Glenn Maxwell’s hopes of reigniting his Test career in India this year were ended by slipping over and breaking his leg at a party, while England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow suffered a similar injury on the golf course last year.
Healy joked that she should set up a group chat for the group to deal with their issues, but more immediately had to sort problems with her two dogs. “The good news is we’re still friends,” she said.
“They’re probably a little bit worse for wear than what I was, but we’re still friends. We all sat on the couch last night together and debriefed the situation and we’re all getting along fine.”
The Sixers will consider sourcing a replacement player for Healy, with teenage wicketkeeper Kate Pelle having taken the gloves in Sunday’s loss to the Sydney Thunder.
Meanwhile, Grace Harris has given the Australian women’s cricket selectors a massive reminder of her big-hitting talent, with a WBBL individual record score of 136 not out and an amazing highlight against Perth Scorchers at North Sydney Oval.
Omitted from the national team for the recent T20 and ODI series against West Indies, Harris followed up an innings of 49 off 26 balls in Brisbane’s season opener with her third and highest WBBL century.
In her memorable 59-ball knock, Harris hit a WBBL individual innings record of 11 sixes, scoring at a strike-rate of 230 as the Heat racked up 7-229.
Perth were well placed at 1-99 after nine overs, but pacer Courtney Sippel (4-27 off four overs) scuppered the Scorchers hopes by taking thee wickets in four balls in the tenth, and they finished at 8-179.
Harris produced what will surely be one of the highlights of the season, swiping a six over long on despite the handle of her bat snapping off after she made contact.
The very next ball Harris repeated the shot with her new bat, which remained intact as the ball again flew over the rope.
“It was actually a bit loose at the beginning of the game and that’s when they are at their best,” Harris told Fox Sports about her broken bat.
Phoebe Litchfield, who successfully replaced Harris in the Australian team, showed on Sunday she had no intention of relinquishing her position.
Her sparkling 54 not out off 28 balls included successive sixes off the last two balls of the innings to help Sydney Thunder to 5-190 and ultimately a 42-run win over Sydney Sixers in the second half of the North Sydney double-header.
Sri Lankan Chamari Athapaththu also starred with 52 off 39 balls in a 98-run opening stand, and took 3-20 with the ball
The Sixers lost wickets at regular intervals, finishing at 9-148.
Only Ellyse Perry (31 off 16) and Erin Burns (29 off 16) threatened the Thunder, for whom captain and long-time England skipper Heather Knight took 3-27.
Litchfield acknowledged the quality of Harris’s innings and the threat she posed to her place in the Australian team.
“I watched all of it including the broken bat six, well played mate and you’re coming after my spot,” Litchfield told Harris on Fox Sports.
© AAP
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