Alyssa Healy Fires a Second Hundred to Send Australia into Cricket World Cup Final Four

The Australian skipper has produced outstanding back-to-back centuries to lead her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a dominant 10-wicket win over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113, coming just a few days after her equally stellar 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a not at my best with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the utmost expertise of the day's chase as the pair added 202 runs came after possibly the team's poorest performance in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping 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 luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.

From the time statistics was first taken on fielding statistics in 2013, the half-dozen missed catches represented the team's worst fielding display 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 the opposition to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their highest score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was key to making sure the team's target remained manageable.

Healy Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was delighted to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated team top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The experienced skipper sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the tournament, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

The young batter Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 balls soon after her partner got there off 43. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their shout.

The recalled Brown sent down the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as King Leads

In contrast, the spinners excelled, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to 13.

A batter's 44 and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the target was rendered easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said star performer King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”

Ryan Russo
Ryan Russo

A tech strategist and writer with over a decade of experience in digital transformation, focusing on emerging technologies and business growth.