Healy

Australia beat England in the 2022 World Cup final and are bidding for a record-extending eighth title.

Healy faces a race against time to recover for the semi-finals with the first scheduled for 29 October in Guwahati or Colombo and the second due to take place the following day in Mumbai.

The 35-year-old, who made her Australia debut in 2010, has endured a difficult time with injuries in recent years.

She missed the final group game of the T20 World Cup in 2024 and was unavailable for their semi-final loss to South Africa with a plantar fascia issue.

Healy also missed large periods during the 2024-25 season with knee and foot problems keeping her sidelined for the majority of the Sydney Sixers’ WBBL campaign, an ODI series against India, the T20 leg of the Ashes and a T20 tour of New Zealand.

She returned from injury in August to play six white-ball matches for Australia A against India A in Queensland, before being named in the World Cup squad.

That it took until Sunday’s three-wicket win over India for them to complete their first ODI chase over 300, taking back their record for the highest in the women’s 50-over format, is, in truth, a compliment to the bowlers that have worn canary yellow (OK, Australia gold) over the past 50 years.

It is hard for their batters to hold a record if never given the chance.

Ultimately, the result of Australia conceding 330 was captain Alyssa Healy being given an opportunity to produce her latest masterpiece.

Then best known as the 19-year-old niece of renowned former Aussie wicketkeeper Ian, she debuted in 2010 after her nation failed to win either of the 20 or 50-over World Cups held the previous year and has seen it all through 15 trophy-laden years since.

A T20 World Cup win came three months after her bow and seven world titles have followed from 10 attempts across formats.

The gritty keeper was also there in Derby in 2017 when a semi-final defeat by India briefly halted the run of success.

That loss “drove us to rethink our standards,” Healy said this week.

At the next 50-over World Cup in New Zealand, Healy made 170 against England in the final and was named player of the tournament. She ensured her country would not fall short again.

Whether this latest epic knock topped that previous effort can be debated.

Some will argue the case for the pressure of a final. Others can counter with the challenge that comes when facing a record target and a raucous India-supporting crowd of 20,000.

What is certain is this century was far harder to see coming.

The Christchurch carnage in 2022 came as she topped the run-scoring charts, but this knock followed six innings in India since the start of last month in which she had failed to pass 30.

“If you’ve been watching me in the nets, it’s been a frustrating experience because I feel like I’ve had no rhythm whatsoever,” said Healy.

“But once you step out on the field, your competitive instincts kick in and you just lock into the contest.”

There was a six-man breakaway as the riders began climbing, with the peloton more than six minutes adrift, and Enric Mas went clear of Julian Alaphilippe and Thymen Arensman.

Vingegaard’s Visma-Lease a Bike team-mates took turns to push the pace in the peloton and, with Pogacar getting isolated from his team-mates early in the climb, Vingegaard launched three attacks, but each time the three-time Tour winner stayed on the Dane’s wheel.

Up the road, Healy and Paret-Peintre managed to catch Mas about 3.5km from the line and the trio got engaged in a tactical stalemate, allowing Santiago Buitrago to join them and set up a gripping final 2km.

After Mas faded, Ilan van Wilder suddenly charged into the lead inside the final kilometre and signalled for team-mate Paret-Peintre to follow.

And although Healy kicked first in the final 250m, Paret-Peintre had enough left in the tank to snatch victory.

Pogacar mounted one late attack and, although Vingegaard stuck to his wheel, the Slovenian then managed to sprint to the line to gain two seconds on the two-time Tour winner.

Merlier could go for a third stage win on Wednesday, as the race continues with a 160.4km flat stage from Bollene to Valence.

Britain’s Simon Yates won stage 10 of the Tour de France on Bastille Day as Ben Healy became the first Irish rider to claim the yellow jersey for 38 years.

Yates, who triumphed in his second Grand Tour at the Giro d’Italia in June, timed his attack superbly on the final ascent of the 165.3km stage from Ennezat – Le Mont-Dore Puy de Sancy after being part of a long-range breakaway.

That group of 28 riders was whittled down significantly on a punishing day that included eight categorised climbs with the Visma-Lease a Bike rider pulling clear of Thymen Arensman, Healy, Ben O’Connor, Michael Storer and fellow Briton Joe Blackmore in the closing stages.

“It was a really hard start to be there with a lot of strong guys and that’s why I took that advantage just before the final climb because I was looking for a head start,” Yates said.

“It’s been a long time. I was not really expecting any opportunities here. We came here fully focused on Jonas and the GC.

“The stage played out in a way that I could be there and I took it with both hands. It’s not easy. I have been getting better every day since I have been here. I have been growing into the race.”

Ineos Grenadiers’ Dutch climber Arensman finished second, with Healy, who was born in the West Midlands, coming home in third and jumping to the top of the general classification, 29 seconds ahead of defending champion Tadej Pogacar.

Belgian Remco Evenepoel sits third, one minute further back, after losing six seconds in the closing kilometres when Pogacar accelerated and only Jonas Vingegaard was able to hold his wheel from a group containing several GC favourites.

The Dane is fourth in the overall standings, one minute and 46 seconds adrift of Healy, who will become the first Irishman to wear the maillot jaune since Stephen Roche won the race in 1987.

“It was insanely tough. It was a battle against myself and I had to dig in deep and my team-mates put in so much work for me that I really wanted to pay them back,” Healy said.

“How often do you get an opportunity to put yourself into yellow? I had to take that with two hands and go for it.”

There will be a rest day on Tuesday before racing resumes on Wednesday with a 156.8km route around Toulouse that is expected to end in a bunch sprint.

The first big day in the Pyrenees arrives on Thursday with a trip up to the ski resort at Hautacam.

Linfield manager David Healy felt his side “stood firm” in order to bring a single-goal deficit back to Windsor Park for next week’s second leg of their Champions League first qualifying round tie against Shelbourne.

The League of Ireland Premier Division champions got the better of things at Tolka Park courtesy of Mipo Odubeko’s second-half strike.

Coming in with only the Charity Shield final against Dungannon Swifts last week as preparation, and against a side 25 games into their domestic campaign, Healy was pleased with how his side did not allow their hosts to turn plenty of possession into a glut of chances.

While Evan Caffrey twice went close, as did substitute Sean Boyd, the Blues defended resolutely for large periods.

“It was never going to be easy coming down here, they are a very, very good side with talented players,” said Healy.

“It’s disappointing, of course, but in terms of where we are, it’s our first real competitive game. Proud of the effort and the organisation of the players, we stuck together.

“An excitable crowd down here at Tolka Park can sometimes suck the ball into the net and we stood firm and we got ourselves in with a goal deficit.”

Linfield will have the suspended Chris Shields back for next week’s second leg, while Cammy Ballantyne should be available too.

Although Healy felt that Shelbourne play “some of the best football” he has seen in Europe as Linfield manager, he believes his team have “nothing to lose” back at Windsor Park on Wednesday in a game that will be shown live on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

“We’ll be better for the game next week at Windsor,” the former Northern Ireland striker added.

“We’ll empty the tank, we’ve got nothing to fear and nothing to lose.”