The Australian skipper has delivered superb consecutive hundreds to lead her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a commanding comprehensive trouncing over their opponents.
Healy remained unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.
“I felt I was a not at my best with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and progress,” Healy remarked.
Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo added 202 runs came after possibly the team's shoddiest performance in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six chances that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” she added.
Since statistics was initially taken on fielding statistics in 2013, the six dropped catches represented the team's worst fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.
“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” the captain commented.
It helped the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter compiling the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But Alana King mesmeric continuous 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to ensuring Australia’s target remained manageable.
The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Place
Healy was pleased to discover that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.
The experienced captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
Litchfield Impresses with First Tournament Fifty
The young batter Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her first World Cup half-century off 46 balls shortly after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the easiest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their appeal.
The recalled Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Leads
In contrast, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.
Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.
A batter's 44 and another's not out 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the target was rendered easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side a few days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked star performer King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to returning to Indore to take on England and South Africa.”
