Alyssa Healy says she's ready to step up as No.1 wicketkeeper when Australia defend their World Twenty20 championship title in Bangladesh.
The 23-year-old Queenslander, the niece of former Test wicketkeeper Ian Healy, takes the gloves in the absence of vice-captain Jodie Fields, who withdrew before the squad departed due to lack of preparation following illness and injury.
Healy says she actually feels more comfortable adding the wicketkeeping duties to her usual batting responsibilities.
"I've been a wicketkeeper-batsman my whole life so it's more unusual to just be with the bat," she said ahead of the Southern Stars' opening game against New Zealand on Saturday.
"I'm really looking forward to the opportunity.
"Obviously it's disappointing that Jodie had to pull out of the tournament but it's a really good opportunity for me to have the gloves, bat up the order and just cement my place in the T20 team."
Healy said she quite often turns to her famous uncle for tips and advice but one person she's unlikely to be turning to for technical help is boyfriend Mitchell Starc, even though the paceman is also in Bangladesh.
He's with the national men's team for their World T20, being held in Dhaka while the women play in Sylhet.
"We don't really talk cricket, especially at the dinner table," Healy said.
"We leave that for the coaches, the trainers and the teammates.
"We're always there for moral support and to give a hand if need be but ... obviously I'm not a bowler and I'm not left-arm so I'd have no idea."
Healy is one of the few members in the squad to have been a part of Australia's past two successful World T20 campaigns but she says the key will be to view the title as something to win, not to defend.
"There's been a lot of talk about us defending a title and things like that but for our team it's a bit negative with the word 'defend'," she said.
"We play a real aggressive style of cricket.
"It's going to be a tough tournament. We've got some good teams in our pool and then obviously if we progress there's going to be some tough finals games."
