Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding consecutive centuries to lead her team into the last four of the World Cup, motivating them to a dominant 10-wicket victory over their opponents.
The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142 that defeated the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to race to their goal of 199 in just under 25 overs.
“I felt I was a not at my best with the gloves, and probably a little bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and progress,” she said.
Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the pair put on 202 came after perhaps Australia’s shoddiest performance in the field under the captain's leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for spilling a couple of the half-dozen 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 luckily got the job done,” Healy continued.
Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the six missed catches marked Australia’s poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.
“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” Healy commented.
It helped the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever score in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But the spinner's mesmeric continuous ten-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to ensuring the team's target remained manageable.
Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Spot
Healy was delighted to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated team at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Half-Century
Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 balls soon after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy dropped the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their appeal.
The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the team's costliest bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as King Leads
Instead, the spinners excelled, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.
Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.
A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the target was made to look straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 runs against India a few days earlier.
“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to take on the English team and South Africa.”
