Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding back-to-back hundreds to guide her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket victory over their opponents.
The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 overs.
“I thought I was a not at my best with the gloves, and perhaps a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and progress,” she said.
Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of the day's chase as the duo added 202 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 half-dozen chances that were missed.
“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.
From the time statistics was first taken on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities marked Australia’s worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” the captain commented.
This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their highest score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.
But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was vital to making sure Australia’s chase remained manageable.
Healy Delighted with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place
The Australian skipper was delighted to discover that the victory, which places her undefeated team at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old captain raced to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Impresses with First Tournament Fifty
Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, reaching to her first World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries soon after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their shout.
The recalled Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the team's most expensive bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as King Leads
In contrast, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Other spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to 13.
Rubya Haider’s 44 and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the target was rendered straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India four days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to face England and the Proteas.”
