🔗 Share this article

Alyssa Healy has executed outstanding back-to-back centuries to guide her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket win over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113 runs, coming just four days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to race to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I felt I was a below par with the gloves, and perhaps a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of the day's run-chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed perhaps the team's shoddiest performance in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily got the job done,” she added.

From the time data was initially taken on fielding metrics in 2013, the six dropped opportunities marked Australia’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 review,” the captain commented.

It helped Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest total in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter compiling the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to ensuring the team's target remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Victory that Seals Knockout Spot

Healy was delighted to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated team top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The experienced skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden World Cup Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean chance off Brown but failed to review when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Leads

Instead, the spinners excelled, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.

A batter's 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the target was made to look straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India four days earlier.

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