Alyssa Healy Fires Another Century to Power Australia into Cricket World Cup Final Four

The Australian skipper has executed outstanding back-to-back hundreds to guide her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a dominant comprehensive trouncing over Bangladesh.

Healy remained not out on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of the day's run-chase as the pair put on 202 followed possibly the team's shoddiest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the six catches that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” she added.

From the time statistics was first recorded on fielding metrics in 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities marked Australia’s worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy commented.

It helped Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken ten-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was key to making sure the team's target wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Pleased with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Spot

Healy was pleased to discover that the triumph, which places her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she pulled away from her partner later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her first tournament fifty off 46 deliveries soon after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy spilled the simplest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a difficult skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clear chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The reinstated Brown sent down the quickest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars

In contrast, the spinners excelled, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Other spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to 13.

A batter's 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the total was made to look straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side four days before.

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