Healy Blasts Another Century to Send the Australian Team into Cricket World Cup Final Four

Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant back-to-back centuries to guide her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless 10-wicket trouncing over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113, coming just a few days after her equally impressive 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” she said.

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 came after possibly the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for spilling two of the six catches that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately delivered,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the six dropped catches marked the team's poorest fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” the captain said.

This allowed the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever total in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric continuous ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was crucial to making sure the team's chase remained manageable.

Healy Pleased with Victory that Seals Knockout Spot

Healy was pleased to discover that the triumph, which puts her undefeated side at the top of the standings 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 experienced captain sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she pulled away from her partner later in the knock after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain spilled the simplest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clear catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The recalled Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Stars

Instead, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Australians, but the target was made to look straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side four days before.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We anticipate going back to Indore to face England and the Proteas.”