Alyssa Healy has produced superb back-to-back centuries to steer her team into the last four of the World Cup, motivating them to a dominant 10-wicket win over their opponents.
Healy finished not out on 113, arriving just four days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.
Ironically, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed perhaps the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and fortunately got the job done,” Healy continued.
From the time data was first taken on fielding statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.
“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” the captain said.
It helped the opposition to eke out 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.
But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Place
Healy was pleased to discover that the triumph, which puts her undefeated team top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old captain sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Shines with First World Cup Fifty
Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, the captain spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean chance off Brown but failed to review when the official turned down their shout.
The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars
In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Fellow spinners Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the total was rendered straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against India a few days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said star performer King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to face England and South Africa.”
