Healy, Perry ruled out of final ODI, McGrath to captain

Australia have suffered a double injury blow with captain Alyssa Healy and star allrounder Ellyse Perry ruled out of today's third and final ODI against Ireland in Dublin due to respective finger and knee injuries.

Vice-captain Tahlia McGrath will become the 18th woman to captain Australia in an ODI as she steps in for Healy, who will now have to wait until October's T20I series against West Indies to bring up her 250th game across all formats for Australia.

The last Dublin ODI will begin at 10.45am local (7.45pm AEST), with Australia's XI to be confirmed at the toss.

Healy suffered a fresh fracture to her already-broken left index finger while wicketkeeping during Tuesday's second one-dayer at Clontarf Cricket Club, while Perry suffered soreness in her left knee during her innings of 91 and did not take the field in the second innings.

Perry, who is in red-hot form having hit three consecutive ODI fifties, has subsequently been diagnosed with an injury that will require 4-6 weeks of rest.

The injuries will rule both veterans out of The Hundred, where Healy had been set to join Australian teammate Georgia Wareham at Northern Superchargers, and Perry was due to again play for Birmingham Phoenix.

Neither will require surgery but both will now return to Australia for rehabilitation.

Australia's next engagement is a T20 series against West Indies starting October 1, with one round of the domestic 50-over competition to be played beforehand.

Healy had already fractured both her left index and right ring finger during Australia's red-ball warm-up game in Leicester last month.

She played through the pain across the seven-match multi-format Ashes series, scoring a crucial half-century and executing six dismissals in Australia's Test victory at Trent Bridge that allowed them to retain the Ashes trophy despite losing four of the six white-ball games.

Healy's absence leaves a hole at the top of the order against Ireland, which will likely be filled by Beth Mooney.

The experienced left-hander opened alongside Phoebe Litchfield in January's one-day series against Pakistan when Healy was absent due to a calf injury.

With three squad members available to fill two vacant spots in the XI, it appeared likely Grace Harris will play her first ODI since 2016, while leg-spinner Alana King and uncapped allrounder Tess Flintoff are the other options.

Heather Graham was ruled out of the series earlier in the week after suffering a calf strain, while Megan Schutt, who featured in all three Ashes ODIs, returned home at the end of that series to rest before a busy summer and to spend time with her family after a prolonged period on the road.

CommBank ODI Tour of Ireland 2023

First ODI: Match abandoned

Second ODI: Australia won by 153 runs

Third ODI: July 28 at Clontarf CC, Dublin, 10.45am (7.45pm AEST)

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham

Ireland squad: Laura Delany (c), Ava Canning, Georgina Dempsey, Amy Hunter, Arlene Kelly, Gaby Lewis, Louise Little, Jane Maguire, Aimee Maguire, Cara Murray, Leah Paul, Orla Prendergast, Rebecca Stokell, Mary Waldron.