Alyssa Healy Blasts a Second Ton to Propel Australia into Cricket World Cup Final Four

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

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her similarly stellar 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to race to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and probably a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and move on,” she said.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of the day's chase as the duo added 202 runs followed possibly the team's shoddiest display in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for spilling a couple of the six catches that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately got the job done,” she added.

Since statistics was first recorded on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the six dropped catches represented Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

This allowed the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever score in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter compiling the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric continuous 10-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Spot

Healy was pleased to discover that the triumph, which places her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's great news,” she said.

The 35-year-old skipper sped to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, getting to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, Healy dropped the easiest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Stars

Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Fellow spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the total was rendered straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India a few days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We anticipate going back to Indore to face the English team and the Proteas.”

Ashley Rodriguez
Ashley Rodriguez

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