Alyssa Healy has executed outstanding back-to-back hundreds to lead her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding comprehensive trouncing over their opponents.
The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her similarly stellar 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century opening partnership 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 behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.
Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs came after perhaps the team's weakest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for spilling a couple of the six chances that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately succeeded,” Healy continued.
From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities represented Australia’s worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” the captain said.
This allowed Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest total in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.
But Alana King mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to making sure the team's chase remained manageable.
The Captain Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Spot
Healy was pleased to learn that the victory, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's great news,” she said.
The experienced captain raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from her partner later in the knock after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their half-centuries.
Litchfield Impresses with Maiden World Cup Half-Century
The young batter Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a tough skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clean chance off Brown but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.
The recalled Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the team's costliest bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Excel as Alana King Stars
Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to 13.
A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Australians, but the total was made to look easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 against India four days earlier.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it won't end here. We anticipate going back to Indore to take on the English team and South Africa.”
