Alyssa Healy Hammers Another Hundred to Power the Australian Team into World Cup Semi-Finals
The Australian skipper has delivered brilliant back-to-back centuries to lead her team into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a commanding 10-wicket trouncing over Bangladesh.
The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to dash to their target of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I thought I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.
Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of the day's chase as the duo put on 202 runs came after possibly the team's weakest display in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six chances that went down.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately succeeded,” Healy continued.
From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities marked Australia’s worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.
“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy commented.
It helped Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Pleased with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Spot
Healy was thrilled to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated side top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Shines with First Tournament Half-Century
Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her first World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their shout.
The reinstated Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the team's most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Stars
Instead, the spinners excelled, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to thirteen.
A batter's 44 and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the total was made to look easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side a few days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to face the English team and South Africa.”