Table of Contents
Australian women’s cricket captain Alyssa Healy made headlines with her bold and unexpected responses during a recent episode of the LiSTNR Podcast. When asked about the one rule she would change in cricket, Healy jokingly suggested scrapping dismissals by catches, an idea that caught even the host by surprise. However, what truly stirred controversy was her intriguing take on ball tampering, which led to a discussion about its presence in the game and the tactics players allegedly use behind the scenes.
“Just imagine batting without getting caught” – Alyssa Healy’s rule change suggestion
During the interview, Healy was posed with a simple question: “If you could change one rule in cricket, what would it be?,” Instead of going for conventional grievances like bad light stoppages or pitch doctoring, Healy responded with a rather lighthearted yet radical suggestion – eliminating dismissals by catches.
“Oh, I just think you should scrap getting caught,” Healy said, laughing. The host, taken aback by the idea, responded, “That’s a rather hard one to get through the MCC, I would have thought,” Healy continued, “No, that would be so—imagine if you just bat and never get caught! That would just be so cool,”
The host then admitted he expected Healy to criticize the light rules or surface manipulations, not a fundamental change like removing catches as a mode of dismissal. However, what followed next truly caught the audience off guard.
Also READ: Charlie Dean reveals her stance on England captaincy after Heather Knight’s exit
All bets off cricket tournament?
Healy then made a surprising pivot, bringing up a controversial topic that has haunted Australian cricket in the past—ball tampering. She suggested the idea of allowing a cricket tournament where players could use any method they wanted, similar to what she referred to as the Olympics allowing performance-enhancing practices.
“Well no, I was actually genuinely thinking about this before. And I would actually love to see like ball tampering in the game,” Healy explained.
Sensing the sensitive nature of the topic, the host mockingly reminded Healy of Australia’s infamous ‘Sandpaper Gate’ scandal that led to bans on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft in 2018. The host humorously warned, “Careful, this could go well.”
Acknowledging the controversial path of the discussion, Healy continued, “I know where this could go, but I would—I would love, you know how they did like the Olympic Games where it’s all free-for-all?,”
The host chimed in, reminding her that the Olympics haven’t officially implemented such an approach yet, to which Healy replied, “No, but they are – so take whatever you want,”
The discussion then escalated into an amusing hypothetical scenario, imagining a cricket tournament where players could tamper with the ball in any way they wanted – using long fingernails, mints, or other creative methods to manipulate its condition.
A dark art in cricket?
As the conversation progressed, Healy revealed that ball tampering is an open secret within the cricketing fraternity, and while it is rarely called out publicly, many players know exactly what’s happening.
“My favorite one that I’ve heard is super glue on wicketkeeping gloves. A little bit of dried super glue – just sharp enough – so when you catch the ball, you go bang, bang, bang, turn your hands, and then throw it to first slip,” Healy revealed.
The host, clearly entertained but aware of the implications, responded, “You don’t want to get the wrong side of the ball, do you? Or do you just rough it up as much as possible?,”
Healy doubled down, laughing, “That’s the best story I’ve heard! Obviously, I’m not naming names, because they’re still playing international cricket. But unbelievably skillful!,”
