Alyssa Healy has executed outstanding back-to-back centuries to steer her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a merciless comprehensive trouncing over their opponents.
Healy remained not out on 113, coming just a few days after her similarly brilliant 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and probably a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.
Interestingly, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs followed possibly the team's weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that went down.
“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily delivered,” she added.
Since statistics was initially taken on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed catches marked Australia’s poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.
“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy said.
This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their highest total in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But Alana King mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Spot
The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten side at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from her partner later in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their half-centuries.
Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Fifty
Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clear catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their shout.
The reinstated Brown bowled the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads
Instead, the spinners excelled, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Aussies, but the target was rendered straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side four days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to take on England and the Proteas.”
