One of the greatest wicket-keepers to have graced the game, Ian Healy was a frantic live-wire behind the stumps. His energy levels were infectious and his glovework exemplary while his batting did contribute during pressure situations via some courageous strokeplay. Although he was a very handy batsman, it was clearly Healy's keeping that defined his persona on the cricket field. If his work against the pacers were brilliant, words weren't enough to describe the way he kept wickets to Shane Warne. The strangest thing about Healy is that he wasn't a natural when he came to wicket-keeping but by sheer hard work and dedication, rose to become a world class keeper.

Healy's selection for the 1988 Test series against Pakistan took most of the cricketing pundits by surprise, if not shock as he had barely played any First-class games. After the retirement of the great Rod Marsh, the keeper's slot was becoming a perennial problem and the then selector, Greg Chappell, who believed in Healy's talent decided to take a punt. The initial days weren't great for 'Heals' (as he is fondly called) because the sub-continent is always a massive test for a non-Asian keeper and he was feeling the heat as well. Even the few series following the Pakistan trip were difficult for Healy but he was determined to work on his game. Work ethic and preparation came easily to the Brisbane lad who stormed his back into redemption.

The upward spiral of the Australian cricket team in the 90s coincided with Healy's sporadic progression as a wicket-keeper batsman. As he became completely confident of his keeping skills, the energy also rubbed into his batting where he started becoming more vital in the lower order. Healy relished the battles with arch-rivals England and was part of the Ashes-winning squad a whopping six times. He couldn't enjoy World Cup glory although the runners-up finish in the 1996 edition was certainly a fine achievement for Australia despite the upset in the final. Healy's booming voice behind the stumps often created undeniable positive energy for the Australians and he also had the ability to get under the skin of the opposition with his verbal volleys.

Towards the fag end of his career, he went past his childhood idol Rodney Marsh to become the most successful wicket-keeper in Test cricket. Although his career was full of highs, it didn't quite end the way he wanted to. From the 1997-98 season, the Australian team management were insistent on having separate squads for Tests and ODIs. This was to ensure that they were able to stay afloat with the demands of the 50-over format. Healy found his place taken by a younger and more aggressive Adam Gilchrist who was also comfortably the better batsman. After a form dip in 1998, Healy knew that his time was up and requested for a farewell game at the start of the new season but was denied. This was after Healy initially requested for a farewell season. Understandly, it was an emotional ending for Heals.

Over the years, even the best of Australian cricketers haven't ideally bowed out the way they would have liked to. This has been in sync to their culture wherein logic has always ruled the roost over emotions. However, Healy has been vocal about this, often saying that the game's best servants deserved a much better send off than this. After his retirement, it was only obvious that he went on to make a TV commentator, considering the boom that his voice had. He signed up with Channel Nine and has been with them ever since, entertaining people across the globe along with his former teammates.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan