Alyssa Healy has delivered superb consecutive centuries to steer her squad into the last four of the World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding 10-wicket win over their opponents.
Healy finished not out on 113, coming just four days after her similarly stellar 142 that saw off hosts India at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to race to their target of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.
“I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” she said.
Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the pair added 202 runs followed possibly the team's poorest display in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for spilling a couple of the six chances that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and fortunately got the job done,” Healy continued.
Since statistics was first taken on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities marked Australia’s worst fielding display 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 an issue we’ll analyze,” the captain commented.
It helped Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever score in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world 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 making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.
The Captain Pleased with Victory that Confirms Semi-Final Spot
The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated side top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.
The experienced skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty
Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her first World Cup half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear chance off Brown but failed to review when the official turned down their shout.
The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the team's most expensive bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as King Leads
Instead, the spinners thrived, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Other spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the total was rendered straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India four days earlier.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” said star performer King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”
