Australian captain Alyssa Healy has one less day to get her foot right for the T20 World Cup semi-final after the defending champs were locked in for a clash in Dubai in the early hours of Friday morning.
New Zealand’s win over Pakistan, which eliminated powerhouse India, means the Aussies will play in the first semi-final, not the second a day later, ramping up the pressure on the team medical staff to try to get Healy, who missed the final pool game with a foot injury, ready to take her place.
Australia will play South Africa in the semi-final should England win their final pool match against the West Indies on Wednesday.
Healy was wearing a moon boot and on crutches when Australia toppled India to secure a semi-final spot, but stand-in Tahlia McGrath said the skipper “wanted to be involved” and would leave no stone unturned to get ready for the semi-final.
“She she’s such a passionate cricketer that she wanted to be involved in every single aspect, and she sent me a message straight away asking me what I needed and how she could help,” McGrath said.
“She was in our meeting today when we were working out match-ups and that and from all reports she was a very painful watcher who just wanted to be out there and wanted to be involved.
“She’s huge for this team and she’s well and truly part of it. Whether she’s on the field or off the field, she helps out enormously and we all love getting around her at the moment.”
With rivals India booted from the tournament, Australia remains red-hot favourites to secure a fourth-straight T20 World Cup, with depth and “options” with the ball particularly crucial to the continued success.
Even in the absence of Healy, Grace Harris topscored for Australia in her first game of the tournament, showing the squad’s strength.
“I have too many options at times,” McGrath said.
“A lot of planning goes in before … who’s our best match-ups, who’s our best in this certain condition. The likes of Pez (Ellyse Perry), Grace (Harris) is an option I didn’t bowl and those that did bowl did an outstanding job, so we’re very lucky with the amount of choice we’ve got of bowlers.”
The stand-in skipper said the Australians would do some “tourist stuff” in Dubai ahead of the semi-final, with off-field activities having become a crucial piece of Healy’s leadership.
Australia has won 14 consecutive T20 World Cup matches.
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