Healy Hammers Another Century to Send Australia into Cricket World Cup Final Four

Alyssa Healy has produced superb back-to-back centuries to lead her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

Healy finished unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her equally impressive 142 that defeated the Indian team at the same Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to chase to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 overs.

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

Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 followed perhaps Australia’s poorest performance in the field under the captain's leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in especial for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“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 data was initially taken on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented Australia’s worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

“Maybe it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” the captain commented.

It helped Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to making sure the team's target remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was delighted to discover that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten side at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's great news,” she said.

The experienced captain raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, reaching to her first World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner got there off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clear catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their shout.

The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was still the team's most expensive bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads

Instead, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the total was made to look straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 against the Indian side a few days earlier.

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

Robert Scott
Robert Scott

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