Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding back-to-back centuries to lead her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a commanding 10-wicket trouncing over their opponents.
The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her equally brilliant 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.
“I thought I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” she said.
Ironically, the utmost expertise of the day's run-chase as the duo added 202 runs came after possibly Australia’s weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six catches that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.
Since statistics was first recorded on fielding metrics in 2013, the six dropped opportunities represented Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” the captain commented.
This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.
But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was vital to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Delighted with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place
The Australian skipper was pleased to learn that the victory, which puts her unbeaten side top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a place in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.
The experienced skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
The Opener Impresses with First Tournament Half-Century
Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her first World Cup fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy spilled the easiest of chances off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean chance off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed 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 Aussies’ most expensive bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Stars
Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.
Fellow spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to thirteen.
A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the target was rendered straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 runs against India a few days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to take on England and South Africa.”
