🔗 Share this article

Alyssa Healy has delivered outstanding back-to-back hundreds to lead her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113, arriving just a few days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to chase to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.

Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo put on 202 came after possibly Australia’s shoddiest display in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” she added.

Since data was initially recorded on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches marked Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll review,” Healy commented.

It helped Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring the team's target wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Spot

The Australian skipper was delighted to discover that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten side at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with First World Cup Half-Century

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 deliveries soon after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their shout.

The recalled Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the team's costliest bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Leads

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

Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to thirteen.

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

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to take on England and the Proteas.”