Alyssa Healy Fires Another Ton to Send the Australian Team into World Cup Final Four

Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant consecutive centuries to guide her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant comprehensive win over their opponents.

Healy remained not out on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her similarly brilliant 142 that saw off the Indian team at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to chase to their target of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” she said.

Interestingly, the utmost expertise of the day's chase as the pair put on 202 came after possibly Australia’s shoddiest performance in the field under the captain's leadership, with the captain scolding herself in especial for spilling two of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately delivered,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding statistics in the year 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 tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” the captain 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 the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty 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 maidens, was crucial to making sure the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Spot

Healy was pleased to discover that the victory, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a place in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.

The experienced captain sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from her partner later in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls soon after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy spilled the easiest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clean chance off Brown but failed to review when the official rejected their appeal.

The recalled Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the team's most expensive bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars

Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to thirteen.

A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Aussies, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 runs against India four days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” remarked star performer Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to take on the English team and South Africa.”