The Australian skipper has executed outstanding back-to-back centuries to guide her team into the last four of the World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding 10-wicket win over their opponents.
The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113, coming just a few days after her similarly brilliant 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs.
“I thought I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the pair added 202 followed perhaps Australia’s shoddiest display in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for dropping a couple of the half-dozen chances that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” she added.
From the time data was first taken on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the six dropped catches marked Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll review,” the captain commented.
This allowed the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.
But Alana King mesmeric unbroken ten-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.
The Captain Pleased with Win that Seals Knockout Spot
Healy was pleased to learn that the victory, which places her undefeated team top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The experienced captain raced to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Shines with First World Cup Half-Century
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy got there off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.
In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the official rejected their appeal.
The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as King Leads
In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Other spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to 13.
A batter's 44 and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Australians, but the target was rendered straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side four days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to Indore to face England and the Proteas.”
