Healy Fires a Second Century to Power the Australian Team into Cricket World Cup Final Four

Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding consecutive hundreds to guide her squad into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless 10-wicket trouncing over their opponents.

Healy remained not out on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her equally stellar 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 followed perhaps the team's weakest display in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for spilling two of the six catches 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 first recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the six missed opportunities marked the team's worst fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” the captain commented.

It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their highest total in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to making sure Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Knockout Place

Healy was thrilled to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, 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 practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her first World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy dropped the simplest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their shout.

The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Stars

In contrast, the spinners excelled, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.

A batter's 44 and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Aussies, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to face England and South Africa.”

Nancy Chase
Nancy Chase

Elena Rodriguez is a senior technology strategist with over a decade of experience in digital innovation and enterprise solutions.