Healy Blasts Another Ton to Power Australia into Cricket World Cup Knockout Stage

The Australian skipper has produced outstanding consecutive hundreds to lead her squad into the semi-finals of the World Cup, driving them to a commanding comprehensive victory over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113, coming just four days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to race to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I felt I was a below par with the gloves, and probably a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the pair put on 202 came after possibly Australia’s shoddiest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for spilling a couple of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

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

From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance metrics in 2013, the six missed opportunities marked the team's worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” the captain said.

This allowed the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever total in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric continuous 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to making sure the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Seals Knockout Place

Healy was thrilled to discover that the triumph, which places her undefeated team top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The experienced captain raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Shines with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as King Leads

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

Other spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took the team to their record total against the Australians, but the target was rendered straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 runs against India a few days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to face the English team and South Africa.”

Alyssa Hall
Alyssa Hall

A tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and their impact on society.