🔗 Share this article

Alyssa Healy has produced superb consecutive hundreds to lead her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, driving them to a commanding 10-wicket win over Bangladesh.

Healy finished not out on 113, coming just four days after her similarly brilliant 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to race to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed possibly Australia’s poorest display in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” she added.

From the time data was initially recorded on fielding metrics in 2013, the half-dozen missed catches represented the team's worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” Healy said.

This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their highest total in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter compiling the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But Alana King mesmeric unbroken 10-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring the team's chase remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Confirms Knockout Spot

The Australian skipper was delighted to discover that the triumph, which places her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The experienced skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with First Tournament Half-Century

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her first World Cup half-century off 46 balls shortly after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their shout.

The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Stars

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.

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

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” remarked star performer King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to face England and the Proteas.”