The Australian skipper has executed outstanding back-to-back centuries to steer her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket trouncing over Bangladesh.
The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113 runs, coming just four days after her equally stellar 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.
“I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” she said.
Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo added 202 runs followed perhaps Australia’s weakest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six catches that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately delivered,” Healy continued.
From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the six missed catches represented the team's worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.
“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” the captain commented.
This allowed Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter compiling the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.
But the spinner's mesmeric continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was key to making sure Australia’s chase remained manageable.
The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Place
The Australian skipper was delighted to learn that the triumph, which places her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's great news,” she said.
The experienced captain sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Impresses with First World Cup Fifty
Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 deliveries soon after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their shout.
The reinstated Brown sent down the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Leads
In contrast, the spinners excelled, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to thirteen.
A batter's 44 and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the total was made to look straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it won't end here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to take on the English team and the Proteas.”
