Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant back-to-back hundreds to guide her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant comprehensive victory over their opponents.
The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113, arriving just four days after her equally impressive 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 deliveries.
“I felt I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of the day's chase as the duo added 202 runs followed perhaps the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six chances that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily delivered,” Healy continued.
From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities marked Australia’s poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.
“Maybe it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll review,” the captain commented.
It helped Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was crucial to making sure the team's target wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Spot
Healy was thrilled to learn that the victory, which puts her unbeaten team top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.
The 35-year-old skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
Litchfield Shines with First World Cup Fifty
The young batter Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her first World Cup fifty off 46 balls soon after her partner got there off 43. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clear catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their shout.
The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Stars
In contrast, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.
Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.
Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the target was made to look straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India a few days before.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to face the English team and South Africa.”
