🔗 Share this article

The Australian skipper has produced superb consecutive hundreds to steer her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket win over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113, arriving just four days after her similarly stellar 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to race to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

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

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed possibly Australia’s poorest performance in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was first recorded on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches marked Australia’s poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

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

This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But Alana King mesmeric continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to making sure the team's target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated side top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her first World Cup fifty off 46 balls soon after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of edges off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a difficult lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their appeal.

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

Spin Attack Thrive as King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, led by King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers 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 top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the total was made to look straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side a few days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked star performer King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to face England and the Proteas.”