Alyssa Healy has delivered outstanding back-to-back hundreds to steer her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a dominant 10-wicket win over their opponents.
Healy finished unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off hosts India at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to race to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.
“I thought I was a not at my best with the gloves, and probably a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and progress,” she said.
Ironically, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after possibly the team's weakest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued.
Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the six dropped opportunities marked Australia’s worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.
“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” Healy said.
This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.
But the spinner's mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was vital to ensuring the team's target remained manageable.
Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Spot
The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated team top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she said.
The experienced skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
The Opener Impresses with First World Cup Half-Century
Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after her partner got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the simplest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clear chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their appeal.
The recalled Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Stars
In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her total to 13.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Australians, but the target was rendered easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India four days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face the English team and the Proteas.”
