The Australian skipper has executed superb consecutive hundreds to guide her team into the last four of the World Cup, motivating them to a commanding comprehensive win over Bangladesh.
The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113 runs, coming just four days after her equally stellar 142 that saw off hosts India at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their target of 199 in just 24.5 overs.
“I felt I was a not at my best with the gloves, and probably a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the utmost expertise of the day's chase as the duo put on 202 followed perhaps the team's weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for spilling a couple of the half-dozen catches that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued.
From the time statistics was first recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented Australia’s worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” Healy commented.
It helped Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was key to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.
The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Place
The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the triumph, which places her undefeated side at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The experienced skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Fifty
Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her first World Cup half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy spilled the easiest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clear chance off Brown but failed to review when the official rejected their shout.
The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the quickest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as King Stars
Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.
Other spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the target was made to look straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India a few days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to Indore to take on England and South Africa.”
