Australia "buoyed" by another ICC Women's Championship in eyes of Healy

Alyssa Healy has led Australia to a third ICC Women's Championship in a row - and the skipper and her team are not planning to stop there.

With a strong finish to 2024, with series wins against India and New Zealand, she says they are all set and fully motivated to compete for yet another trophy when they arrive at the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup later this year.

And they've already shown that with a dominant performance in the Ashes, winning the first four matches of the series comfortably to retain the trophy.

"We've played some really consistent one-day cricket over the last cycle, so the girls are really pumped about wrapping that up," Healy said.

The Australian team pose with the ICC Women's Championship // Getty Images

"The last cycle was a really exciting one. Coming down to the last couple of series to see who would win the trophy was really cool. For us to put in a good couple of performances in those series and get us over the line was really important, so the girls are really excited about winning this trophy and hopefully it's good vibes for the next cycle as well."

The 34-year-old has always had her eye on qualification for the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup - "part of the championship is staying at the top end of the ladder to make sure you do qualify!" - but she is also pleased with the style of cricket her side has played, and the consistency of their results.

"Knowing the nature of this cycle and how hotly contested it was, it's good signs for the ODI World Cup," she added.

"It's really exciting. The group are really buoyed by that as well, to know that yes, we are playing good cricket - but it's a World Cup, and we know that there are going to be a lot of other teams vying for that trophy, so we're excited to get over there and get started."

The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup will be hosted by India later this year.