Australian Cricket Power Couple Misses Out on “Mr. and Mrs. 100
Mitchell Starc and Alyssa Healy, Australian cricket’s power couple, have a new shared moniker: “Mr. and Mrs. 99.” This unique title stems from their unfortunate fate of achieving the highest Test score of 99, falling agonizingly short of a century.
Only 12 cricketers in history share this dubious distinction, and remarkably, two of them are spouses. Healy, the Australian women’s captain, nearly scripted history in the Perth Test against South Africa, racing into the 90s under the scorching Perth sun. However, on 99, she chipped a catch back to the bowler, her dreams of a ton dashed.
The disappointment was palpable, but Healy found solace in a shared experience with her husband, Starc. The pace spearhead had also been dismissed for 99 in a Test against India in 2013.
“I sat in the showers for 15 minutes after getting out,” Healy confessed to Fox Cricket. “It stings a little bit. But Mitch said, ‘If there’s one thing in our cricket careers I can relate to, it’s getting out for 99.’”
Healy acknowledged the bizarre nature of their shared experience. “What a unique sport we play,” she said. “And what a unique relationship we have that we can have these weird moments. But at least we can share that one for the rest of our lives.”
The couple holds the unfortunate record of being the only married pair with a highest Test score of 99. “It is a bizarre thing,” Healy admitted to Channel 7. “I wish it wasn’t us. I wish it was another married couple, but that’s OK.”
Despite the disappointment, Healy took solace in the larger perspective offered by WA Cricket chief executive Christina Matthews: “Everyone gets 100, not everyone gets a 99, so that’s the way you need to look at it.”
While falling short of a century is undoubtedly frustrating, Starc and Healy’s shared experience of 99 adds another layer to their unique cricketing bond. Both drastically different in their playing style, now find solace in something common.
