Alyssa Healy Hammers a Second Ton to Propel Australia into World Cup Semi-Finals

Alyssa Healy has executed brilliant consecutive hundreds to guide her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a dominant 10-wicket trouncing over their opponents.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.

“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,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the pair added 202 runs came after perhaps the team's poorest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for spilling a couple of the half-dozen chances that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily succeeded,” she added.

Since statistics was first taken on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented the team's worst fielding showing 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 analyze,” the captain said.

This allowed the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Place

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

The experienced captain sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with First Tournament Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her first tournament half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner got there off 43. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy dropped the easiest of chances off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clear chance off Brown but failed to review when the official rejected their shout.

The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars

Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

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

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Aussies, but the total was made to look easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India four days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said star performer King. “No doubt it won't end here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to take on the English team and the Proteas.”

Travis Thomas
Travis Thomas

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