Alyssa Healy Fires Another Hundred to Propel Australia into Cricket World Cup Knockout Stage

The Australian skipper has executed superb consecutive centuries to lead her squad into the semi-finals of the World Cup, driving them to a commanding 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

Healy finished unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her similarly brilliant 142 that saw off the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I felt I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed possibly Australia’s shoddiest performance in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the captain criticizing herself in especial for spilling a couple of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately delivered,” she added.

From the time statistics was first recorded on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities represented Australia’s worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” the captain commented.

This allowed the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest total in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s target remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Place

Healy was delighted to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated side at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The experienced captain sped to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from her partner later in the innings after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with First Tournament Half-Century

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 balls soon after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, the captain spilled the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a difficult lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as King Stars

Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, led by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.

A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the target was made to look straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India a few days before.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to take on England and South Africa.”

Greg Gates
Greg Gates

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