Australian cricket star Alyssa Healy recently described her “surreal experience” of hastily leaving India as renewed hostilities erupted between India and Pakistan. Healy described being at a match in Dharamsala during a light tower malfunction, leading to the game being called off. She then documented her anxiety-filled and nerve-wracking trip home.
Healy was excitedly tuning in to watch her partner, Mitchell Starc, do his thing. Then, shockingly, the match was cut short due to lack of technological support. As the situation escalated, she found herself part of a group that spent nearly six hours traveling by bus, followed by another six hours on a train to reach Delhi. The choice to run was made based on overhearing discussion that the stadium would soon be evacuated.
“It was a little bit terrifying driving south-west towards the India-Pakistan border,” Healy remarked as she recounted the tense atmosphere during their journey. She pointed out that some participants even saw a drone shot down right above them, amplifying the perilous atmosphere.
When Healy and her team first landed in Delhi, the maelstrom prompted even more anguish. To their shock, they learned that the temporary ceasefire in the region hadn’t even held up for four hours before it was shattered. “There was a lot of anxiety around, especially for the Australian group, because we didn’t have a whole heap of information as to what was going on,” she explained.
Healy recounted a dramatic scene when an individual loitering close by jumped up in an apparent panic. He yelled, “We have to go immediately!” All of them nervously watched for updates on the game and their security. This lack of clarity created a palpable sense of anxiety, especially among the Australians in attendance.
“We obviously knew we were going to struggle getting out if completely necessary … that probably created a bit of anxiety,” – Alyssa Healy
Healy was disturbed by the fact that misinformation was spreading during an actual crisis. “And that’s probably been, I’ll say, the really interesting and probably the scariest part of this whole situation is probably the misinformation that’s around the world and probably around life in general at the moment,” she stated.
Despite all these dire issues, Healy continues to look forward. She is now focused on the Women’s Cricket World Cup, which will be held in India this September and October. She certainly implied her eagerness to track these developments very closely. She stressed that the reality for folks in Pakistan is much more dire than what’s happening in India.
“To be completely honest … if I was a player right now, to feel comfortable to go back and take part in the tournament I’d be waiting for some government advice to say yes it’s safe to go back to India right now,” – Alyssa Healy
In a now-viral, candid moment, Healy made a cheeky quip about herself and partner Starc’s gaming addiction. They’re both huge fans of Call of Duty! “Mitch and I have played too much Call of Duty and we’re noticing all the SAM sites that were just sitting there ready to go,” she quipped.
Healy and Starc were whisked out of danger back to Australia within hours, narrowly avoiding a potentially very dangerous situation. Their lightning quick exit poses somewhat sobering questions about their international cricket future in light of recent geopolitical tensions. The married couple of the lawyer and an unknown future. From juggling the demands of public service with the needs of their families and households in the long shadow of COVID-19,
