Alyssa Healy Blasts a Second Ton to Send the Australian Team into Cricket World Cup Final Four

Alyssa Healy has produced superb consecutive hundreds to lead her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding comprehensive victory over Bangladesh.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and probably a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the win and move on,” she said.

Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of the day's chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after perhaps Australia’s weakest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for spilling a couple of the six catches that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately got the job done,” Healy continued.

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

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” Healy commented.

This allowed Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their highest score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But Alana King mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s chase remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Spot

The Australian skipper was pleased to learn that the triumph, which places her unbeaten side at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy spilled the easiest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clear chance off Brown but failed to review when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the quickest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as King Stars

In contrast, the spinners thrived, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Aussies, but the target was rendered straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against India a few days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to Indore to take on England and the Proteas.”

Kimberly Hickman
Kimberly Hickman

Lena is a journalist specializing in Swedish political analysis and cultural trends, with over a decade of experience in media.