Niggling knee forces Healy to play as batter only in NZ

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********* knee forces Healy to play as batter only in NZ

Captain Alyssa Healy’s ********* knee will prevent her from keeping wicket in Australia’s ODI series against New Zealand.

But the veteran is hopeful she can play as a batter in all three games to ready herself for the Ashes in January.

Beth Mooney will continue filling in for Healy behind the stumps, starting in Thursday’s series-opener at Basin Reserve in Wellington.

“I won’t be wicketkeeping this series … but there’s not a lot of cricket leading into the Ashes, so for me, it’s an opportunity to try and get back on the park, as a batter, and try and find some runs more importantly,” Healy told reporters on Wednesday.

“I feel like I’ve hardly played any cricket for the last eight or nine months and there’s a good opportunity to do that.

“The knee’s tracking well, it’s just a day-by-day thing, and we’ll just assess as we go.”

Healy’s frustrating run with injury opened the door for Australia to debut Georgia Voll in the recent home series against India.

Voll, who hit scores of 46*, 101 and 26 in her first three ODIs, is set to be the unlucky player to drop out with Healy returning.

“We’ve been transitioning for a little while, getting some youth in the side,” Healy said.

“But obviously forced hand with some injuries at the moment.

“I think we’re in a really great space, the depth in *********** cricket is really strong.

“And everyone who keeps stepping in, to take my job in particular, seems to make my runs or take wickets, so we’re in a good space at the moment.”

New Zealand will enter the battle for the Rose Bowl on a high after winning their first T20 World Cup in October.

“I just remind them we pumped them in the round game, but they’re okay to have the trophy,” Healy said.

“There is an air of disappointment around our group after the World Cup, I don’t think there is any way to beat around that.

“I think the discussions that have come post that have been really promising, and where we want to take our cricket moving forward and how we want to play our style of game, as sad as that may seem.”

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