Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding back-to-back centuries to steer her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, motivating them to a dominant comprehensive victory over their opponents.
Healy finished not out on 113 runs, coming just four days after her similarly brilliant 142 that defeated the Indian team at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to chase to their goal of 199 in just under 25 overs.
“I thought I was a not at my best with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” she said.
Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of the day's run-chase as the pair added 202 runs followed perhaps Australia’s shoddiest display in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the captain scolding herself in particular for spilling a couple of the six chances that went down.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately got the job done,” Healy continued.
From the time statistics was first recorded on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the six missed opportunities represented Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.
“Perhaps it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy said.
It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest total in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.
But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.
The Captain Delighted with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place
Healy was thrilled to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated side at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The experienced captain sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their half-centuries.
Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty
Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls soon after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.
In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy spilled the easiest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their shout.
The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Leads
Instead, the spinners excelled, led by King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Other spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to 13.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the target was rendered easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 runs against India four days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to Indore to take on the English team and South Africa.”
