Healy reveals playing through painkillers, two fractured fingers

When Alyssa Healy strode to the crease at No. 8 on an unwelcome row of three ducks in Tests, it's understandable that she "copped a gob-full". What those firing the barbs didn't understand was that she was walking in knowing that she would struggle to grip her bat.

Her side had just pushed their lead past 200 on the fourth day but with more than a day to go in this Test, they needed more. Healy, Australia's hard-as-you-like wicketkeeper and stand-in captain, swallowed some more concrete - along with some painkillers - and provided it.

A half-century after seeing a faint edge off the first ball she faced deflect off the gloves of opposite number Amy Jones, helped Australia set England a record target, which proved too lofty in the end. That was thanks to Ashleigh Gardner's eight wickets for the innings - Healy had a hand in three of those - and 12 for the match.

"I was feeling like I was copping a bit of grief in the media and on the field when I walked out at No. 8 and I was getting the sense that no one really knew what was going on," Healy told reporters after Australia had wrapped up victory by 89 runs and she had dropped to the host broadcaster before play the fact that she went into the match with two fractured fingers.

"This is what I've been dealing with for the last seven days leading into the Test match. It is what it is, it's exactly what happens as a wicketkeeper, you get knocks on the fingers.

"Unfortunately for me, it was one on each hand so it made it incredibly difficult, in particular batting, being able to grip the bat after keeping for 110 overs. We'll just reassess with it during the weekend and make sure I'm ready to go in Birmingham."

Australia now have a four-point buffer heading into the first of three T20is in Birmingham on Saturday, which will be followed by three ODIs while England need to win five of those six remaining matches to wrest back the Ashes. Australia need only to win two to draw the series and retain them.

They have back-up wicketkeepers in Beth Mooney, who was the only other Australian to pass a half-century in their second innings, and potentially Phoebe Litchfield, the Test debutant who kept for one ball as Australia claimed the last wicket they needed in their warm-up against England A when Healy was injured.

But given the fortitude she showed to play this match, it's hard to see Healy sitting out voluntarily. A single-word answer emphasised that fact when asked if she could play two white-ball series knowing she had played a Test with a fractured left index finger and right ring finger: "Yep."

"It was a little bit uncomfortable in the morning," Healy revealed. "I hit in the nets early just to see what I could do after keeping for a while and keeping a lot up to the stumps so you're taking a lot of balls on the up.

"There are a few painkillers in the system and we went as low as we possibly could knowing that if we needed more we can we could do that.

"But I guess the more pain you take away you're not quite sure where your fingers are and I think that could have potentially created a few more dangerous situations for them to get into so little bit of pain out there, but all for a good cause."

Arguably Healy's most influential dismissal was the one which gave Gardner her five-wicket haul and one that nearly wasn't. Gardner's arm-ball had beaten Jones's charge, leapt off the pitch onto Healy's battered hands, then her chest and back into the gloves in time for her to whip off the bails with the bat only a breath from being safely back inside the crease.

"It's an interesting one, because when I took the bails I knew initially she hadn't quite made it and then then she slid it [the bat] again and I wasn't sure if I was quick enough to take them off for that moment," Healy said.

"We all thought it was a non-event and we'd just have a look and I was more disappointed because it was Ash's fifth wicket and she wasn't going to get another opportunity.

"When it came up on the big screen that it was pretty close and out it was a nice relief for me. I'd been trying to stay low all game because the balls have been rolling between my legs and then all of a sudden you get one that bites, it's never fun but got the job done eventually."

Healy admitted that captaincy had been tough at times while having to concentrate so hard while keeping wicket as well. But she was full of praise for Tahlia McGrath, her official deputy, and the experienced Ellyse Perry, who also chipped in with advice.

Healy saved her highest praise, however, for Gardner, who managed to upstage the 10 wickets for the match by Sophie Ecclestone, England's left-arm spinner who kept her side in the game with twin five-fors.

"I think she saw what Sophie Ecclestone was doing at one end then thought, 'I'm going to get you and do it one better,'" Healy said. "I'm really proud of Ash.

"She's come a really long way as a cricketer over the last couple of seasons and really grown into an amazing allrounder, in world cricket and really adaptable to any condition in any format and I think she showed that out there in particular today.

"We had Ecclestone who was taking the ball away from us a lot as right handers but to have someone like Ash who was bowling into the right handers all day, into the English side, and to take 12 wickets for the match is super impressive.

"I'm also really proud of the bowling unit as a whole. They did it tough in that first innings but they reaped their rewards in that second innings, just nailing the stumps and then their simple plans, which was awesome.

"Five-day Test cricket is pretty tough work but I'm just really proud of the group and the way that everyone just fought and hung in there for four-and-a-half days. We really learn on our feet exactly what it's like and a great finish. I'm glad that we're at the winning end of the result."