The Australian skipper has produced brilliant back-to-back centuries to guide her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.
The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113, coming just a few days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their target of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I felt I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and progress,” she said.
Ironically, the supreme professionalism of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 came after possibly the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six chances that went down.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately succeeded,” she added.
Since statistics was first recorded on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities represented Australia’s poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.
“Maybe it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” Healy commented.
This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was vital to making sure Australia’s target remained manageable.
The Captain Pleased with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Spot
The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the victory, which places her undefeated side top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old captain sped to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
Litchfield Shines with Maiden World Cup Half-Century
Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy got there off 43. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy spilled the easiest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clear catch off Brown but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.
The reinstated Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the team's costliest bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as King Stars
Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by 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 (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their record total against the Aussies, but the target was made to look straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side four days before.
“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to take on England and South Africa.”
