Healy Fires Another Century to Power the Australian Team into World Cup Knockout Stage
Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant consecutive hundreds to guide her squad into the last four of the World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant comprehensive trouncing over their opponents.
The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113, coming just four days after her similarly stellar 142 that defeated the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs.
“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,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of the day's run-chase as the pair added 202 runs came after perhaps Australia’s weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for spilling two of the six catches that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.
From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding statistics in 2013, the half-dozen missed catches represented the team's worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” the captain commented.
It helped the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.
But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring the team's target wasn’t too challenging.
The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Place
The Australian skipper was pleased to learn that the victory, which places her unbeaten team at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.
The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Shines with First World Cup Half-Century
The young batter Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 deliveries soon after her partner got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clear chance off Brown but failed to review when the official rejected their shout.
The reinstated Brown sent down the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Excel as King Leads
In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her total to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India a few days earlier.
“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to take on the English team and South Africa.”