🔗 Share this article

The Australian skipper has executed brilliant consecutive hundreds to steer her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their goal of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the win and move on,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of the day's chase as the pair added 202 runs came after possibly the team's poorest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping two 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,” Healy continued.

From the time data was first taken on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the six dropped catches marked the team's worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their highest total in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But Alana King mesmeric unbroken 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s chase remained manageable.

Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Knockout Spot

The Australian skipper was thrilled to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten side at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the tournament, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.

The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest stand by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding display, the captain dropped the simplest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clear chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Stars

Instead, the spinners excelled, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the target was rendered straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 against India a few days before.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer King. “No doubt it won't end here. We anticipate returning to Indore to take on England and South Africa.”