Healy Fires Another Century to Propel Australia into Cricket World Cup Semi-Finals
Alyssa Healy has produced superb consecutive centuries to guide her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, driving them to a merciless comprehensive victory over Bangladesh.
The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113 runs, coming just four days after her equally impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to dash to their goal of 199 in just under 25 overs.
“I felt I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and move on,” she said.
Ironically, the utmost expertise of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 followed possibly Australia’s weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for spilling a couple of the six catches that went down.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” she added.
From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities represented Australia’s worst fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” Healy said.
This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But Alana King mesmeric continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Delighted with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place
Healy was thrilled to discover that the triumph, which places her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.
The experienced skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.
The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Fifty
Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, getting to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.
In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their appeal.
The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the team's costliest bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars
In contrast, the spinners thrived, led by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.
Fellow spinners Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to thirteen.
A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Australians, but the total was rendered straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against India four days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face England and the Proteas.”