Healy Blasts Another Ton to Propel the Australian Team into Cricket World Cup Semi-Finals

The Australian skipper has executed superb back-to-back centuries to guide her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless 10-wicket win over their opponents.

Healy finished not out on 113, arriving just a few days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a not at my best with the gloves, and probably a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” she said.

Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the duo put on 202 runs followed perhaps the team's weakest display in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for spilling two of the six chances that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding metrics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities marked the team's poorest fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

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

It helped Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

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

The Captain Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Spot

Healy was delighted to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The 35-year-old skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden World Cup Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries soon after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire rejected their shout.

The reinstated Brown bowled the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Stars

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

Fellow spinners Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, 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 great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to face England and the Proteas.”