Alyssa Healy Hammers a Second Ton to Send the Australian Team into World Cup Semi-Finals

The Australian skipper has executed brilliant consecutive hundreds to lead her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, driving them to a dominant comprehensive win over their opponents.

Healy remained not out on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her equally stellar 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I felt I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the utmost expertise of the day's chase as the pair added 202 followed possibly the team's weakest display in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping two of the six chances that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily delivered,” she added.

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

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

It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Victory that Seals Knockout Spot

The Australian skipper was thrilled to learn that the victory, which places her undefeated team top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The 35-year-old skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with First World Cup Fifty

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, getting to her first World Cup fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain spilled the simplest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The reinstated Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as King Stars

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

Fellow spinners Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’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 off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to take on England and the Proteas.”

Robert Wright
Robert Wright

A communication coach with over a decade of experience helping professionals master public speaking and interpersonal skills.