"My tackle technique needs some work" - Alyssa Healy on pitch invasion in WPL 2024

Australia and UP Warriorz captain Alyssa Healy wants to work on her "tackle technique" after unsuccessfully trying to stop a pitch invader during the WPL 2024 match against the Mumbai Indians at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on February 28.

The invader ran into the pitch before the last ball of the innings with a piece of cloth in his hand. He was running beside the pitch when Healy, in her wicketkeeping gear, tried to body-check and catch him.

However, the man slipped away from the tackle and was ultimately caught by security personnel.

"It was silly on my part, but he too made a dumb choice to run on the pitch. That was all that really happened," Healy told the Times of India in an interview. "I didn't do much, maybe my tackle technique needs some work. (laughs)"

The Warriorz won the match by seven wickets and Healy contributed 33 (29) with the bat.

"If we are not working towards pay parity, we're doing the wrong thing" - Alyssa Healy

As the captain of the most successful international team in women's cricket, Healy is seen as the torchbearer for the sport.

She has often used the platform to promote gender pay parity as well and reiterated that stance in the interview, saying not working towards it would be "doing the wrong thing".

"That should be the goal. If we are not working towards that, then we're doing the wrong thing. The women's game is continuing to grow and it's actually the fastest growing market in the sport. The men's game has always been quite successful," Healy said.

"We are now starting to bring in more revenue, we're growing the game, and if we continue to work towards the ultimate goal then we will definitely reach it. The BCCI has done it for the girls in India, New Zealand have pay parity as well in terms of match payment. So, things are improving," she added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has equaled the prize money for men's and women's competitions, while many boards have done the same for match fees. But there's still work to be done with most central contracts and even franchise competition deals varying with disproportionate margins for men and women.