🔗 Share this article

Alyssa Healy has delivered superb back-to-back hundreds to steer her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a dominant comprehensive victory over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113, arriving just a few days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and progress,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the duo added 202 runs came after possibly Australia’s poorest display in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the captain scolding herself in particular for spilling a couple of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately succeeded,” she added.

From the time statistics was first recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the six missed catches marked Australia’s worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” Healy said.

This allowed Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their highest total in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the victory, which places her unbeaten team 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 fantastic,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy got there off 43. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as King Stars

Instead, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her tally to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Aussies, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 against India four days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We anticipate going back to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”