Healy Hammers Another Century to Propel Australia into World Cup Final Four
Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant consecutive hundreds to steer her squad into the last four of the World Cup, motivating them to a commanding comprehensive win over Bangladesh.
Healy finished not out on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her equally stellar 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to race to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I thought I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the utmost expertise of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 came after perhaps the team's shoddiest display in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for spilling two of the half-dozen catches that went down.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately delivered,” she added.
Since statistics was first recorded on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches marked the team's worst fielding display 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 review,” Healy commented.
It helped the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But Alana King spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was vital to making sure the team's chase remained manageable.
Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place
Healy was delighted to discover that the triumph, which puts her undefeated side at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories 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 balls, the quickest hundred of the tournament, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
Litchfield Shines with Maiden World Cup Half-Century
The young batter Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.
In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clear catch off Brown but failed to review when the official rejected their appeal.
The recalled Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads
Instead, the spinners thrived, led by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.
Fellow spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to thirteen.
A batter's 44 and another's not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the total was made to look easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” said star performer Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to face England and South Africa.”