Alyssa Healy Blasts Another Ton to Power Australia into World Cup Semi-Finals

The Australian skipper has delivered outstanding consecutive centuries to guide her squad into the semi-finals of the World Cup, driving them to a dominant 10-wicket trouncing over Bangladesh.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113, arriving just a few days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to race to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the duo added 202 runs came after possibly the team's poorest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for dropping two of the six catches that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities represented Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” Healy said.

This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was key to making sure Australia’s chase remained manageable.

Healy Pleased with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Spot

The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with First World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clear catch off Brown but failed to review when the umpire rejected their shout.

The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, led by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her tally to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the total was made to look easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 against the Indian side four days before.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to Indore to take on England and South Africa.”

Kevin Anderson
Kevin Anderson

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