Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding consecutive hundreds to lead her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding comprehensive trouncing over Bangladesh.
The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just four days after her similarly stellar 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs.
“I thought I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and progress,” she said.
Interestingly, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the duo added 202 followed perhaps the team's poorest display in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and fortunately delivered,” Healy continued.
Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the six dropped catches represented the team's poorest fielding display 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,” Healy said.
This allowed Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their highest total in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over spell, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was vital to ensuring the team's target remained manageable.
Healy Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Place
The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the triumph, which places her undefeated side at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old captain raced to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest century 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 practically shot for shot towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Half-Century
Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls soon after her partner got there off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, Healy dropped the easiest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.
The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket 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 a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.
Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to thirteen.
A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 against the Indian side four days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to take on the English team and the Proteas.”
