Alyssa Healy Fires a Second Century to Power the Australian Team into Cricket World Cup Final Four
Alyssa Healy has delivered superb consecutive hundreds to lead her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, motivating them to a commanding 10-wicket trouncing over their opponents.
Healy finished not out on 113, arriving just four days after her similarly stellar 142 that saw off the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to race to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs.
“I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.
Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the pair added 202 followed perhaps Australia’s weakest display in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for dropping two of the six chances that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily delivered,” Healy continued.
From the time data was first recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the six missed opportunities represented the team's worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.
“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” Healy commented.
It helped Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.
But Alana King spellbinding unbroken 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was key to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Place
The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated side top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old captain sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Shines with First Tournament Half-Century
The young batter Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her first World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their appeal.
The reinstated Brown sent down the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the team's costliest bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Thrive as King Stars
Instead, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Other spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to 13.
A batter's 44 runs and another's not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the target was rendered easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side a few days earlier.
“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face England and the Proteas.”