🔗 Share this article

The Australian skipper has delivered outstanding consecutive hundreds to steer her team into the last four of the World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket win over Bangladesh.

Healy finished unbeaten on 113, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142 that defeated the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam 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 24.5 deliveries.

“I thought I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and probably a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and progress,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo put on 202 came after perhaps Australia’s weakest performance in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.

Since data was initially taken on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed catches marked the team's poorest 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 an issue we’ll analyze,” the captain commented.

This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to ensuring the team's target remained manageable.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Spot

Healy was pleased to learn that the triumph, which places her undefeated team at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The experienced captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with First World Cup Fifty

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, Healy dropped the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clear catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the official rejected their shout.

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

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars

Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, led by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.

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

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 balls took the team to their record total against the Australians, but the target was rendered straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 runs against India four days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”