Alyssa Healy has executed superb consecutive centuries to steer her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding 10-wicket victory over their opponents.
Healy finished unbeaten on 113, coming just four days after her similarly brilliant 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 deliveries.
“I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and probably a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.
Ironically, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair added 202 came after possibly the team's poorest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for spilling two of the half-dozen catches that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately succeeded,” she added.
From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed catches marked Australia’s poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.
“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll review,” Healy commented.
This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their highest score in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.
But the spinner's mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was crucial to making sure Australia’s chase remained manageable.
Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Knockout Place
The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the victory, which places her unbeaten team top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Impresses with Maiden World Cup Half-Century
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner got there off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy spilled the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clear chance off Brown but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.
The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was still the team's most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads
In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, led by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to 13.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the total was rendered straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side four days earlier.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to take on England and South Africa.”
