Alyssa Healy Hammers a Second Hundred to Send Australia into World Cup Knockout Stage
The Australian skipper has produced brilliant consecutive hundreds to guide her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless comprehensive win over Bangladesh.
Healy finished unbeaten on 113, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142 that defeated hosts India at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (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 probably a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the duo put on 202 runs came after possibly Australia’s weakest display in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.
Since statistics was first taken on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the six missed catches marked Australia’s poorest 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 commented.
It helped Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their highest total in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But the spinner's mesmeric continuous 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was vital to ensuring Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Delighted with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Spot
Healy was pleased to learn that the triumph, which places her undefeated side at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old skipper sped to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Shines with First Tournament Fifty
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls soon after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, Healy dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clean chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the official rejected their appeal.
The recalled Brown sent down the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as Alana King Leads
Instead, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Other spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to 13.
A batter's 44 and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the total was made to look straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 against India four days before.
“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to face England and the Proteas.”