Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant back-to-back hundreds to guide her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding comprehensive win over Bangladesh.
The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113, arriving just a few days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to race to their goal of 199 in just under 25 overs.
“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.
Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of the day's run-chase as the pair put on 202 followed possibly the team's weakest performance in the field under the captain's leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.
Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the six dropped opportunities marked the team's poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” the captain said.
It helped Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling 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 key to making sure Australia’s target remained manageable.
Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Spot
The Australian skipper was delighted to learn that the triumph, which places her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.
The experienced skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from her partner later in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
Litchfield Shines with Maiden World Cup Fifty
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.
In the first innings, during the subpar fielding display, the captain spilled the simplest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clean chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their appeal.
The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as King Stars
Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, led by King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.
Rubya Haider’s 44 and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Australians, but the total was rendered straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 runs against India four days before.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked star performer King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to face the English team and the Proteas.”
