Alyssa Healy has produced brilliant back-to-back centuries to steer her squad into the semi-finals of the World Cup, motivating them to a commanding 10-wicket win over their opponents.
Healy remained unbeaten on 113, arriving just four days after her similarly impressive 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs.
“I thought I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” she said.
Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs followed perhaps Australia’s poorest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the six chances that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.
From the time data was initially recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the six missed catches marked the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.
“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” the captain said.
It helped the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team 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 crucial to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Delighted with Victory that Confirms Semi-Final Place
Healy was thrilled to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.
The experienced skipper raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from her partner later in the knock after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.
The Opener Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries soon after Healy got there off 43. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, the captain spilled the simplest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their shout.
The reinstated Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Thrive as King Leads
Instead, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Fellow spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to thirteen.
A batter's 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their record total against the Aussies, but the total was rendered easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side four days earlier.
“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to Indore to face the English team and the Proteas.”
