Alyssa Healy has delivered superb consecutive hundreds to guide her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.
The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her equally stellar 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the same Vizag venue. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to chase to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and probably a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the win and move on,” she said.
Ironically, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the duo added 202 runs followed possibly Australia’s poorest display in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen catches that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, 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 metrics in 2013, the half-dozen missed catches marked the team's worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll review,” the captain said.
It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their highest score in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But the spinner's mesmeric continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was key to making sure the team's target remained manageable.
Healy Delighted with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place
Healy was delighted to learn that the victory, which places her undefeated team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she said.
The experienced captain sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.
The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Half-Century
Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting 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-highest stand by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.
In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy dropped the simplest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their appeal.
The recalled Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the team's most expensive bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars
Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Other spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their record total against the Aussies, but the target was rendered straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 against the Indian side a few days earlier.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said star performer King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to face England and South Africa.”
