Healy Hammers a Second Ton to Propel Australia into Cricket World Cup Semi-Finals
The Australian skipper has delivered superb back-to-back centuries to guide her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding 10-wicket win over their opponents.
The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113 runs, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to race to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I felt I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.
Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of the day's chase as the duo added 202 runs came after perhaps Australia’s shoddiest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the captain scolding herself in especial for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued.
From the time data was first recorded on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the six dropped catches marked the team's poorest fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.
“Perhaps it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” the captain commented.
It helped Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter compiling the maiden half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.
But Alana King spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.
The Captain Pleased with Win that Seals Knockout Place
The Australian skipper was delighted to learn that the triumph, which places her unbeaten side at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.
The 35-year-old skipper sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the tournament, 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 almost shot for shot towards their fifties.
Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Fifty
Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries soon after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.
In the first innings, during the subpar fielding display, Healy dropped the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their appeal.
The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as King Leads
Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Fellow spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to 13.
A batter's 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the target was rendered easy meat by a side who had chased down 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,” said star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to take on England and South Africa.”