The Australian skipper has executed brilliant consecutive centuries to lead her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding 10-wicket win over their opponents.
Healy finished unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her equally impressive 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their target of 199 in just 24.5 overs.
“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and probably a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and progress,” she said.
Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the duo put on 202 came after perhaps the team's weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that went down.
“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued.
From the time data was first recorded on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the six dropped catches represented Australia’s poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.
“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll review,” the captain said.
This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was key to ensuring Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.
The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Place
The Australian skipper was delighted to discover that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.
The experienced skipper sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.
The Opener Impresses with First Tournament Half-Century
Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.
In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the easiest of edges off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off Brown but failed to review when the official rejected their shout.
The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as Alana King Leads
Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.
Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the total was rendered easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against India a few days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to take on the English team and the Proteas.”
