Alyssa Healy Blasts Another Hundred to Send Australia into World Cup Knockout Stage

Alyssa Healy has executed outstanding consecutive hundreds to lead her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a commanding 10-wicket trouncing over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to race to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a not at my best with the gloves, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the pair added 202 runs came after possibly Australia’s weakest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for spilling two of the six catches that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities represented Australia’s poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” Healy said.

It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was crucial to making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Spot

The Australian skipper was thrilled to learn that the victory, which places her undefeated side at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The 35-year-old skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from her partner later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Fifty

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The recalled Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the team's most expensive bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, led by Alana 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) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Australians, but the total was made to look straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India a few days before.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to take on England and South Africa.”

Tracy Hill
Tracy Hill

A certified financial planner with over a decade of experience in digital investments and wealth management.