Alyssa Healy has delivered outstanding consecutive centuries to guide her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding comprehensive win over Bangladesh.
Healy finished not out on 113, arriving just four days after her similarly brilliant 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 deliveries.
“I thought I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” she said.
Interestingly, the utmost expertise of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 came after possibly the team's weakest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for spilling two of the six chances that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.
Since data was first taken on fielding metrics in 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities represented the team's poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy commented.
It helped the opposition to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But Alana King mesmeric unbroken 10-over spell, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was crucial to making sure Australia’s target remained manageable.
The Captain Delighted with Victory that Seals Knockout Place
The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the triumph, which places her undefeated side top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.
The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their half-centuries.
Litchfield Impresses with First Tournament Fifty
Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.
In the first innings, during the subpar fielding display, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.
The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars
Instead, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.
Fellow spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her total to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the target was made to look easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 against India a few days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to take on the English team and the Proteas.”
