🔗 Share this article

The Australian skipper has delivered outstanding consecutive hundreds to steer her squad into the last four of the World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant 10-wicket win over Bangladesh.

Healy remained not out on 113, arriving just a few days after her equally impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to race 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 little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and progress,” she said.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo added 202 came after perhaps the team's poorest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for spilling a couple of the half-dozen chances that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately got the job done,” she added.

From the time data was initially taken on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities represented the team's worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was key to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Pleased with Victory that Confirms Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the victory, which places her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old skipper sped to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Shines with First World Cup Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The recalled Brown bowled the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Stars

Instead, the spinners excelled, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.

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

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to take on the English team and South Africa.”