Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant back-to-back centuries to steer her team into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a merciless 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.
Healy remained unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her equally stellar 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs.
“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and progress,” she said.
Ironically, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs followed perhaps Australia’s poorest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches 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 succeeded,” Healy continued.
From the time statistics was first taken on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the six missed opportunities marked the team's worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll review,” the captain commented.
This allowed the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter compiling the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.
But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring the team's target remained manageable.
Healy Pleased with Win that Confirms Knockout Spot
The Australian skipper was delighted to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she said.
The 35-year-old skipper sped to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
The Opener Shines with First World Cup Half-Century
The young batter Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. 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 simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their shout.
The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the quickest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Stars
Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Other spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to thirteen.
A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Australians, but the target was rendered easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against India a few days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to face England and South Africa.”
