Alyssa Healy has delivered outstanding back-to-back centuries to lead her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless comprehensive win over Bangladesh.
The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to chase 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 take the two points and move on,” she said.
Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s chase as the duo added 202 runs followed possibly Australia’s shoddiest performance in the field under the captain's leadership, with the captain scolding herself in particular for spilling a couple of the six catches that went down.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily delivered,” she added.
Since data was first taken on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the six dropped opportunities represented the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.
“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” the captain commented.
This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Pleased with Win that Confirms Knockout Place
Healy was thrilled to learn that the victory, which places her unbeaten side top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.
The experienced captain raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Half-Century
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, reaching to her maiden World Cup half-century 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 Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clean chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their shout.
The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spinners Excel as King Leads
In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to 13.
A batter's 44 and another's not out 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the total was rendered straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 against India four days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said star performer Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We anticipate going back to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”
