Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant back-to-back hundreds to guide her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.
Healy remained unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly stellar 142 that saw off hosts India at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs.
“I felt I was a not at my best with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.
Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs came after perhaps the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain criticizing herself in especial for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that went down.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and fortunately succeeded,” Healy continued.
Since statistics was first recorded on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities marked the team's poorest 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 reflect on,” the captain commented.
This allowed the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was key to ensuring the team's target remained manageable.
The Captain Delighted with Win that Seals Knockout Place
Healy was thrilled to learn that the victory, which places her undefeated team top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she said.
The experienced captain raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from her partner later in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
Litchfield Shines with First Tournament Fifty
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries soon after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.
In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain dropped the simplest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their appeal.
The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the quickest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Stars
In contrast, the spinners thrived, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.
Other spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to thirteen.
A batter's 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their record total against the Aussies, but the total was rendered easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India a few days before.
“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to take on the English team and the Proteas.”
