Cricket great Alyssa Healy is caught up in HUGE TV commentary furore over her husband Mitchell Starc

Cricket fans have leapt to the defence of Aussie captain Alyssa Healy after she was accused of a shocking conflict of interest when she provided colour commentary on the Boxing Day Test.

The 34-year-old was hit with the controversial take because she spoke about her husband Mitch Starc’s performance against India at the MCG, where he was playing a starring role in the roller-coaster match.

News Corp journalist Ronny Lerner was widely condemned for his take on her commentary as he wrote on X: ‘There have been plenty of unsavoury conflicts of interest in AFL commentary which have been rightly criticised over the years. Alyssa Healy commentating her husband is right up there as one of the worst in any sport.’

That drew strong responses from hundreds of Australians, with the vast majority blasting Lerner.

‘She’s there as the captain of the women’s team not as a wife. this is a very bad take. She has more cricket experience and knowledge than James brayshaw and several others in the [commentary] box, and again is the Australian captain!’ one cricket fan pointed out in reply.

‘Yes, because a woman is defined by who she is married to rather than her own achievements.. you know, as the Captain of the women’s Australian Cricket team,’ another added.

‘Wait till this guy finds out alyssa healy is a professional cricket player,’ a third chimed in.

‘Alyssa Healy isn’t just a generationally talented player and leader, she’s one of the most insightful and intelligent commentators in the game. To suggest otherwise or question her knowledge is ignorant at best, and deliberately derisive and attention-seeking at worst,’ another fan wrote.

Other cricket die-hards left Starc out of their take and just concentrated on what Healy added to the broadcast.

‘Alyssa Healy is a good commentator. That’s all,’ one said.

‘Loving Alyssa Healy taking the p**s out of Mitch’s golf prowess and then she makes the classic statement about an Indian batter ‘being sconed in the lid’ – so classic Aussie,’ added another.

‘Alyssa Healy is such a natural in the commentary box. Natural, nonchalant Aussie flair about her,’ wrote a third.

Healy’s commentary included her taking a shot at Virat Kohli after India’s former skipper slammed his shoulder into Australia’s teenage debutant Sam Konstas in one of the the most controversial moments of this summer’s series.

‘It doesn’t really set the greatest tone for your side, but if that’s one  way the Indian team wants to approach it, so be it. It didn’t rattle him [Konstas] one bit,’ she said.

A knee injury stopped Healy from wicketkeeping during Australia’s recent ODI series victory over New Zealand, and she is still trying to get to full fitness for the Ashes series against England in Australia next month.

‘[I’m] in the Governor-General’s squad and that will be a great opportunity for me to take the gloves and see how everything is progressing,’ Healy told reporters on Saturday.

‘It’s kind of play it by ear at the moment to see how everything pulls up, but I did enjoy running around the field in New Zealand, so if that’s the option and it’s less disruptive to our side, then that could be the way moving forward.

‘… the real test will be in the next 10 days moving into the series, as to how that (knee) pulls up, how that responds to me keeping again.’

The Ashes series will feature a day-night Test at the MCG, in the first time the nations’ women’s sides will use a pink ball since 2017. 

Healy was asked about the prospect of seeing banks of empty seats at the famous ground during the Test.

‘We’re acutely aware that there’s not going to be 87,000 people coming through the gates on every day, but [someone] was asking me, “Would you rather play at North Sydney [Oval] in front of 4000 or challenge the norm and play at the MCG and see how many we can get?”‘ she told the ABC.

‘For sure, the MCG. We grew up watching Test cricket just like everybody else and wanting to run out in our baggy greens.’