Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding back-to-back hundreds to lead her team into the last four of the World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant 10-wicket trouncing over Bangladesh.
Healy remained not out on 113, arriving just a few days after her equally stellar 142 that defeated hosts India at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the pair added 202 followed possibly Australia’s poorest display in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for dropping a couple of the half-dozen chances that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” she added.
From the time data was initially taken on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches marked Australia’s worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” the captain said.
It helped the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their highest total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.
The Captain Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Spot
The Australian skipper was pleased to learn that the victory, which places her undefeated side at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.
The experienced captain sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
Litchfield Shines with First Tournament Half-Century
Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 balls soon after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clean chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.
The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Leads
Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Other spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to thirteen.
A batter's 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side four days before.
“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We anticipate returning to Indore to face England and South Africa.”
