Alyssa Healy Fires Another Ton to Power the Australian Team into World Cup Final Four

The Australian skipper has produced outstanding consecutive hundreds to guide her team into the last four of the World Cup, motivating them to a commanding comprehensive victory over Bangladesh.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113, coming just a few days after her equally impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

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

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair added 202 runs followed perhaps the team's poorest display in the field under the captain's leadership, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping 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 batting, and fortunately succeeded,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding statistics in 2013, the six dropped opportunities represented Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a little 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 best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was crucial to making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the victory, which places her undefeated side at the top of the group table 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 experienced captain sped to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with First Tournament Fifty

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls shortly after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the team's most expensive bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Stars

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to 13.

A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Aussies, but the target was made to look easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 runs against India a few days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said star performer King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to returning to Indore to take on England and South Africa.”