Alyssa Healy has produced superb consecutive centuries to guide her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding comprehensive win over their opponents.
Healy remained unbeaten on 113, arriving just a few days after her equally impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.
“I thought I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of the day's chase as the pair added 202 followed perhaps the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in particular for spilling two of the six catches that went down.
“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily 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 display at a Women’s World Cup.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll review,” the captain commented.
This allowed the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But Alana King spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was crucial to making sure Australia’s chase remained manageable.
Healy Pleased with Victory that Confirms Semi-Final Place
The Australian skipper was delighted to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.
The 35-year-old captain sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
Litchfield Impresses with First World Cup Fifty
Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.
In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a tough skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their shout.
The reinstated Brown sent down the quickest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the team's costliest bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Thrive as King Stars
In contrast, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.
Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her tally to 13.
A batter's 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their record score against the Australians, but the target was made to look straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side four days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”
