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ICC WOMEN'S WORLD T20

February 27, 2020

Alyssa Healy

Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

Australia - 189/1, Bangladesh - 103/9

Q. Did you feel pretty good after the opening total, putting such a convincing lead on the board?
ALYSSA HEALY: Yeah, I think it was. There's been a lot of talk about how we've been playing over the last sort of couple of weeks in particular, but it was nice for us to go out there and put all that aside and play the way we wanted to, and to get that result tonight was obviously fantastic against a side that's really unknown to us. Probably allowed us to just think about ourselves for a change, and just go out there and play how we wanted to, and I think we executed that.

Q. You were seeing it pretty well, I can imagine you were never going to deviate from that (approach) as a aggressive player?
ALYSSA HEALY: At no stage will we deviate from that. I think, look, as a batting group we spoke about potentially not doing our job as well as we would have liked, so to be able to go out there and put a pretty decent score on the board on a fairly low and tricky wicket in my opinion was pretty great, and hopefully that gives us some confidence moving forward.

Q. How much momentum do you think the team can gain from a result like this heading into Monday's game?
ALYSSA HEALY: Yeah, look, obviously Monday is a pretty crucial game in the context of the World Cup. Yeah, we'll take a lot of confidence out of that, especially as a batting group. I think there's been a lot of pressure on us to perform, and we haven't felt it from the inside. We just know that if we execute what we want to do, we'll get the desired result, and that showed tonight.

We're coming up on Monday against a side that we're really familiar with, so hopefully that suits us even more.

Q. Is it reassuring to know that your fate is now totally in your own hands?
ALYSSA HEALY: Yeah, I think so. I think we weren't really focused on that other game today at any point. I think there was a bit of talk about it on the bus before we arrived, but yeah, look, it's always going to happen. I think both pools are really wide open at the minute, and there's probably going to be three sides that are pushing for the top two. Look, for us we were just looking to go out there, put a good performance out there, hopefully get the win, and then we'll worry about Monday, and whatever will happen will happen.

Q. That was some partnership with you and Beth. What do you think clicked today?
ALYSSA HEALY: Yeah, I think Moons loves batting at Manuka Oval. I think she averages like 80 or something ridiculous here, so for me I was just holding on for the ride and see if I could contribute for a change. Look, I think the left-hand, right-hand combination for us at the top is really effective and especially today with a big breeze going across the ground, we were able to sort of target that shorter side if we could, so that obviously worked really well for us, and hopefully it can moving forward.

Q. Were you surprised that Katie Martin has come out on the front foot and said the pressure is on Australia; it's their World Cup?
ALYSSA HEALY: It doesn't surprise me one bit; loves a bit of banter, ol' Katie Martin. Yeah, it doesn't surprise me at all. I think they've still got a game before us, I think, so yeah, look, they're well within their right to come out and try and put some pressure on us through their words, but we'll just focus on what we need to do and showing up on Monday and putting the best performance we can on the board, and if that means a semi-final, then fantastic, but if not, we'll know that we've just played the way that we want to.

Q. Is there any truth to that comment from Katie? Is it a fair comment considering you are hosting the World Cup?
ALYSSA HEALY: Look, I don't think there's been any extra pressure on us at all. There's obviously been a lot of talk about it, but within the group, I don't think there's that feeling. I think we're just going out there and trying to play the best we can. Obviously World Cups are incredibly difficult to win. We've been so successful at them by grinding wins out, and every single team in this competition is going to come really, really hard at us. They want to beat us and they want to try and top the pool or come second in the pool, and we know that. Sometimes we have to sort of go in a defensive mindset and just absorb as much energy as we can and then push it back on them. So from that point of view, I don't think there's any extra pressure on us. We know it's going to be tricky. We knew it was coming into this World Cup.

No extra pressure, just the simple fact that everyone is coming very hard at us and we just need to sort of absorb that energy that they're giving at us and make sure that we're doing the right thing to throw it right back.

Q. Did you feel like some of the questions that were asked about the top-order performances were fair?
ALYSSA HEALY: Yeah, I think so. I think when you're not quite doing your job, you expect to be called out on that, and for me in particular, like rightly so, especially through that Tri-Series leading into this World Cup. I'd be asking questions if people weren't questioning if I was not necessarily the right person for the job, but how I was going with my batting. Look, from that point of view, that's part and parcel of sport. You've got to accept the good with the bad. For me it was just a timely reminder that everybody really cares about this team and really want us to win and be there in that final.

I guess that's a nice feeling, and I just went out there and trained as hard as I possibly could to make sure that I can contribute for this team and obviously achieve something hopefully really special in this country.

Q. If is it for validation about what we now expect of the women's Australian team, as well?
ALYSSA HEALY: I think so, yeah. I think it's great. Not necessarily negative press is great, but I think the scrutiny on the side is where this sport is at at the moment. It's very professional within this country, both domestically and internationally, and we want to be the best cricketers we possibly can, and when we're not quite performing we're happy if you call us out on that.

From our point of view we're a really tight-knit group and we know what's working really well within our group and what we can do to be better. Have your fair say outside, but hopefully inside we know what we're doing well.

Q. Alyssa, for you as a person, would it be right to say you wouldn't be too worried about a few low scores in a Tri-Series because you know what you can do, and when it comes to games like this out there today, you know that's your ceiling, and a few low scores don't really matter?
ALYSSA HEALY: Well, they did matter, to be fair. I think at some point I did question if I was doing the right thing. But at the same time, I think getting that reassurance from people that I was doing the right thing, and sometimes when you're playing the game of cricket you're not actually out there long enough to lose any form. I still feel like I was hitting the ball really well in the nets and was just sort of finding the fielder or finding some really unlucky ways to get out.

For me I think the luck would have turned, and I think it did against India in that first game. I think I smashed one to the keeper at some point and no one appealed. At some point your luck has got to turn, and I think that was that moment that I thought maybe my luck has turned here and I can sort of just ride the wave and go out there and play aggressively like I do and hopefully get my team into a position to win a game.

Q. It always seems like you've got a resilience. Did you build that by -- your first few years were pretty hard graft with the Australian team and then suddenly it all came good; suddenly it exploded. Did those first few years, those difficult times, help prepare you for little smaller dips like the one in recent months?
ALYSSA HEALY: Yeah, I think so. I think I've always sort of had the mindset of am I doing my role for the team more than anything else, and I think at that point in time I was to an extent. I was batting all around the order and mainly in sort of the middle order and sort of coming out and icing an innings or trying to win the game for the side was something that I really prided myself on, and in some way I thought I was doing my job for the team down there. But to get an opportunity at the top of the order, I think, and sort of grab it with both hands and enjoy the experience has been great. Yeah, I think the first 10 years of my career probably did teach me a lesson about resilience and hanging in there, and hopefully the last couple of years of my career will be pretty good fun.

Q. You ditched the helmet for the hat?
ALYSSA HEALY: Yeah, it was hot. It was hot. I'd love to bat in the floppy like Karen Rolton used to do, but yeah, it was just a little bit hot out there, and yeah, at no stage did I really think about sweeping a ball. The wicket was too low, so just an easy option to try and get some air down my lungs and see if I could keep swinging hard.

Q. You mentioned the top order, having a discussion amongst yourselves about not being where you wanted to be at. Are those honest conversations part and parcel of winning a World Cup, what you have to have?
ALYSSA HEALY: Yep, definitely I think it's part and parcel of being an elite sports team, as well, and being a really tight-knit group like we are. I think having those honest conversations aren't easy, but this team really seems to be quite good at it and is able to call stuff out when it's happening, and I think to be able to sit down as a batting group and just identify some areas that we weren't doing great and where we could be better I think was great for the group.

Sometimes you know they're there, but when you say it out loud and you verbalize it, it sort of reinforces it in your own mind about your plans or what someone else might be doing, as well, to get out of your own head.

I thought it was great, and yeah, to be able to come out tonight and sort of respond to that was fantastic.

Q. Perry seemed to leave the field early tonight. Was it her shoulder? Did she aggravate that when she went for the boundary?
ALYSSA HEALY: I have absolutely no idea. I don't think it was her shoulder. She threw in a few balls quite hard after that, so I'm going to go with it wasn't her shoulder, so it could be something else. Stay tuned.

Q. The team have a day off coming up; how important is that going to be heading into the New Zealand game given the travel you've had to do so far?
ALYSSA HEALY: Yeah, it's coming in handy, that's for sure. As an almost 30-year-old it's coming at the right time. I think, look, it's no secret that we've had a really busy schedule obviously leading into this World Cup and during this World Cup, but the girls are really embracing that. We really enjoy this opportunity to be fully professional athletes, and the amount of cricket that we're playing, we see it as a real blessing.

A day off here and there is fantastic for us, and we make sure we use it wisely to just refresh and recharge, and for me, get away from cricket and hopefully do something fun so come Monday we'll hopefully be swinging hard out there.

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