Alyssa Healy Sets New World Record in Melbourne

Melbourne [Australia], Feb 21 (ANI): Australian wicket-keeper batswoman Alyssa Healy has set a new Guinness World Record for taking the 'highest catch of a cricket ball' at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

The 28-year-old achieved that feat while promoting women's World T20 which will be held next year.

Healy caught a ball, which was dropped from a drone, 80 metres above the MCG surface to break the previous record of 62 meters set by an Englishman Kristan Baumgartner in 2016.

The right-hand batswoman made several unsuccessful attempts before getting it right but once she gets the record catch, Healy was purely elated.

"After I didn't get a hand on the first practice and then the next one went straight through my gloves there was cause for concern. You don't get the cue from the ball going up in the air off the bat and it was swinging a lot on the way down because it just gets dropped," Cricket.com.au quoted Healy, as saying after her early attempts at a 64m catch were unsuccessful.

"As you can tell in the video, it was pure elation to get it, I didn't want everyone to come and not get the record so when I'd secured it in the gloves I carried on like a bit of a pork chop but overjoyed to break the record," she added.

There are twelve more months go for the T20 World Cup where Aussie women will be aiming to defend their title. The tournament is slated to end on March 8 which marks the International Women's Day.

"It's a nice correlation between what the ICC and Cricket Australia are trying to work towards in breaking the world record for attendance at a women's sporting fixture for the final on International Women's Day," Healy said.

Australia and India will play the opening match of the World Cup at Sydney Showground Stadium on February 21. (ANI)

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