Healy Fires a Second Hundred to Send the Australian Team into Cricket World Cup Semi-Finals

Alyssa Healy has delivered outstanding back-to-back centuries to guide her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding 10-wicket win over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to chase to their goal 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 accept the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs followed possibly the team's weakest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the six chances that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and fortunately delivered,” she added.

Since data was initially recorded on fielding statistics in the year 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,” Healy commented.

This allowed the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was vital to ensuring Australia’s chase remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Victory that Confirms Semi-Final Spot

The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the victory, which places her unbeaten 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 great news,” she said.

The 35-year-old skipper raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her first World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest stand by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy spilled the simplest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The reinstated 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.

Spin Attack Excel as King Leads

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

Other spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the total was made to look straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It's great 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 Indore to take on the English team and the Proteas.”

Matthew Barnett
Matthew Barnett

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