[Getty Images]BBCMon, December 1, 2025 at 1:23 PM UTC·2 min readAustralia women's captain Alyssa Healy says her husband Mitchell Starc will be "licking his lips" at the prospect of using the pink ball in the second Ashes Test at Brisbane.
Starc is the most successful bowler in the history of day-night Tests, which use a pink ball for visibility purposes.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 35-year-old seamer took career best figures of 7-58 in the first innings of the opening Test at Perth, but Healy believes her spouse will be hungrily looking forward to bowling under lights at The Gabba.
"He's prioritised Test cricket right throughout his career and it's sort of reaping the rewards of that at the moment," Healy told the For The Love of Cricket podcast.
"I think he's pretty chuffed with that, but then obviously to go to the Gabba with the pink ball, I think he'll be licking his lips a little bit to hopefully rip in."
Australia will again be without the experienced fast bowling duo of Josh Hazlewood and captain Pat Cummins in Queensland, but Healy feels that replacements Brendan Doggett and Scott Boland will also prosper with the pink ball.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"The Aussie attack with the pink ball is a little bit terrifying," Healy told former England seamer Stuart Broad.
"Obviously the Poms just bowl gas right, they bowl a lot of heat - you've got some really skill there, don't get me wrong - but all of a suddenly you bring Doggett and Boland almost back into the game.
"I know they tried to counter them, being quite aggressive to Boland, but Doggett's been really good with the pink ball over here in Australia when we've played it around Shield cricket. We know what Scotty Boland can do with a ball that moves a little bit more."
Healy also comes down on the side of the argument that says the pink ball moves more than its red counterpart.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"A red Kookaburra, you get a good one it swings a little bit, we saw one in Perth - didn't swing at all. And it goes soft pretty quickly, whereas a pink ball does go soft quicker but you can still get it to move a little bit more in different conditions.
"It produces a different contest, which I really enjoy as a fan. I still love watching the game, I just think it creates a little bit of unknown. I think it brings our attack into play a bit, which is awesome."
