Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding back-to-back hundreds to lead her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless 10-wicket win over their opponents.
The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just four days after her similarly stellar 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 overs.
“I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the win and move on,” she said.
Ironically, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair added 202 came after perhaps Australia’s poorest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping two of the six chances that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued.
From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the six missed catches marked Australia’s worst fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.
“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” Healy commented.
It helped Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.
But Alana King mesmeric continuous 10-over spell, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Delighted with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Spot
Healy was thrilled to discover that the victory, which puts her unbeaten team top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The experienced captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.
The Opener Shines with First Tournament Fifty
Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her first tournament half-century off 46 balls shortly after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain spilled the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a difficult lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their appeal.
The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as King Stars
Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, led by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Fellow spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her tally to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the target was rendered straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 runs against India a few days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to face the English team and South Africa.”
