Alyssa Healy Fires a Second Ton to Propel Australia into Cricket World Cup Final Four

The Australian skipper has produced outstanding consecutive hundreds to guide her team into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a commanding comprehensive win over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just four days after her similarly brilliant 142 that saw off the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 deliveries.

“I thought I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll accept the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair added 202 runs came after perhaps the team's shoddiest display in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the six chances that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily got the job done,” she added.

Since data was initially recorded on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the six missed opportunities marked the team's poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” Healy said.

It helped Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King spellbinding continuous 10-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was vital to ensuring the team's chase remained manageable.

Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Place

Healy was delighted to learn that the victory, which places her undefeated side top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from her partner later in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

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

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The reinstated Brown sent down the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to thirteen.

A batter's 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 balls took the team to their record total against the Aussies, but the target was made to look easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 against India four days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” remarked star performer King. “Certainly it won't end here. We anticipate going back to Indore to take on the English team and the Proteas.”

Nicholas King
Nicholas King

A certified holistic health coach and mindfulness practitioner with over a decade of experience guiding individuals toward inner peace and wellness.