Healy Blasts Another Century to Power Australia into World Cup Knockout Stage

Alyssa Healy has produced brilliant consecutive hundreds to steer her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a dominant 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

Healy remained not out on 113, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142 that defeated the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to race to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and perhaps a little bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of the day's chase as the duo put on 202 runs came after possibly Australia’s weakest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen chances that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was initially taken on fielding statistics in 2013, the half-dozen missed catches represented the team's poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

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

This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their highest score in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was key to making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Place

Healy was delighted to discover that the triumph, which places her unbeaten side top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The experienced captain raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest 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 boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Shines with First World Cup Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy spilled the easiest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their shout.

The recalled Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the team's most expensive bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as King Leads

Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her total to 13.

A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 against India four days before.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to Indore to face England and the Proteas.”

Jessica Grant
Jessica Grant

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