Alyssa Healy Hammers a Second Hundred to Send the Australian Team into Cricket World Cup Final Four

Alyssa Healy has produced superb consecutive centuries to guide her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113, arriving just four days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to race to their goal of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs came after perhaps the team's weakest display in the field under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen chances that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance metrics in 2013, the six missed catches marked the team's poorest fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

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

This allowed 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 Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

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

Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was thrilled to learn that the victory, which puts her undefeated team top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from her partner later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, reaching to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries soon after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain spilled the simplest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off Brown but failed to review when the umpire 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, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Stars

Instead, the spinners excelled, led by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her total to 13.

A batter's 44 and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Aussies, but the target was made to look straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face England and South Africa.”

Regina Snyder
Regina Snyder

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