Alyssa Healy Fires Another Hundred to Power the Australian Team into Cricket World Cup Knockout Stage
The Australian skipper has executed brilliant consecutive hundreds to lead her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding comprehensive trouncing over their opponents.
Healy finished not out on 113, arriving just four days after her equally stellar 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to race to their goal of 199 in just under 25 overs.
“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” she said.
Ironically, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the duo added 202 runs followed possibly Australia’s weakest performance in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for spilling a couple of the six catches that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately succeeded,” she added.
From the time statistics was first recorded on fielding performance metrics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches marked the team's poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.
“Maybe it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” Healy said.
It helped the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their highest score in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But Alana King spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring the team's target wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Pleased with Win that Confirms Knockout Spot
Healy was thrilled to discover that the victory, which places her undefeated side top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures 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 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
Litchfield Impresses with First Tournament Half-Century
Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.
In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the easiest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clear catch off Brown but failed to review when the official rejected their shout.
The recalled Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Stars
Instead, the spinners excelled, led by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.
Other spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India four days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to take on England and the Proteas.”