Alyssa Healy Fires a Second Hundred to Propel the Australian Team into World Cup Final Four

Alyssa Healy has executed brilliant back-to-back hundreds to guide her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding comprehensive win over Bangladesh.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed possibly the team's weakest display in the field under the captain's leadership, with the captain scolding herself in especial for spilling a couple 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 fortunately succeeded,” Healy continued.

From the time statistics was first recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the six missed catches marked the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

It helped the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But Alana King mesmeric unbroken 10-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Victory that Confirms Semi-Final Place

Healy was thrilled to discover that the victory, which places her unbeaten team top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she said.

The experienced skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from her partner later in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Shines with First World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls shortly after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their shout.

The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the quickest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Leads

In contrast, the spinners excelled, led by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the total was made to look easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” remarked star performer King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to face the English team and South Africa.”

Michael Miranda Jr.
Michael Miranda Jr.

A seasoned journalist with over a decade of experience covering UK politics and social issues, known for insightful analysis and thorough reporting.