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Alyssa Healy will resume wicket-keeping duties in Australia’s Ashes series opener in Sunday’s first ODI against England in Sydney.

But Australian skipper Healy, who has been sidelined with a knee injury since mid-November, admitted the grueling schedule of seven matches in a 22-day span – including a four-day Test – had meant personnel pressure during the series. There may be some rotation. Starts with three ODIs and three T20Is.

“Yeah, good to go,” a beaming Healy told reporters after a practice session at North Sydney Oval, less than 24 hours before the series kicks off at the same venue.

“I’d probably be lying if I said there was no doubt, especially after a few months, but everything is progressing as we hoped. I’m feeling really good. .

“More importantly, I feel really confident in him to be able to go out there and do the job. If I think I’m going to let the team down, I’m not going to do it. I’m really excited to be back tomorrow.”

Healy has had a tough run with injury since October, when he ruptured the plantar fascia in his right foot while running between the wickets during Australia’s group match against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup.

He then suffered a knee injury while playing for the Sydney Sixers in the WBBL, which ruled him out of Australia’s home ODI against India and was the only batsman in the subsequent ODI tour of New Zealand. Beth stood behind the stumps with Mooney. For both series.

On Saturday, Healy trained with Mooney in the slips alongside 21-year-old opening batsman Georgia Woll, who impressed on her international debut against India, feeding the balls with the bat.

Having proven himself such a valuable option at the top of the order, including an opening fifty alongside Healy in the Ashes warm-up between England and the Governor Generals’ XI, Voll can fill in whenever Healy is rested. Need it.

“That’s a valid question, and I don’t know the answer yet,” said Healy when asked if she was recovered enough to play all the Ashes fixtures. “I think it just depends on how I draw after each opportunity.

“But obviously we know we’ve got a pretty handy backup that’s ready to go, and I know I can run the field pretty confidently, so we’re just going to play it by ear. In hindsight, I’d love to be there every game intact, but we’ll just have to see how the body goes.”

England have a key decision to round out their bowling line-up on how reliable seamer Kate Cross pulls out of their match-prep training session after battling a back injury. Cross suffered a herniated disc during a tour of South Africa last month and subsequent scans revealed a slightly bulging disc that required an epidural over Christmas.

“Obviously Croci is struggling a bit with a back problem, he’s going to bowl a bit today and we’ll make a final decision once we look at the wicket and see how everyone is after training. Where are you,” Heather Knight, the England captain, said on Saturday.

England have a number of sevens options, including Lauren Bell, who returned from South Africa with 12 wickets, eight of them in Tests, and Lauren Filer, whose Knight struggled with the wet north. Despite being favored to provide an extra dimension with its pace. Sydney’s pitch during the warm-up game, which Knight kept purely on the circumstances.

“The bounce she gets and the pace she delivers is really tough,” Knight said of Filer, who stunned the Australians with her pace on her international debut in the 2023 Ashes Test, where He took two wickets in each innings. “It’s not a particularly pleasant experience to face her in net, I’ll tell you that, and I think she’s really grown up since the 2023 series.

“She’s improved her consistency, she’s added some finesse to her game. She was really raw in this series and she really made an impact so she’s one of the few bowlers in this series. Going to contribute.

“She’s definitely someone who bowls wicket-taking balls and that’s what we want her to do. Accepting sometimes she’s going to score runs, that’s fine, that’s not her job. ‘s job is to come in and take batons and try and try because of a few feathers I’m definitely excited to see him bowl.”

England XI (Probable): Tammy Beaumont, Maya Bouchier, Heather Knight (capt), Nate Skewer Brunt, Danny Whithodge, Amy Jones (wk), Alice Kepsey/Sophia Dunkley, Charlie Dean, Sophie Axton, Lauren Bell, Lauren Filer/Kate Cross

Australia XI (Probable): Alyssa Healy (capt, wk), Phoebe Litchfield, Elise Perry, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Ashley Gardner, Tahlia McGrath, Alana King, Kim Garth, Megan Shutt, Darcy Brown/Georgia Wareham

Valkyrie Baines is a general editor for women’s cricket at ESPNcricinfo.

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