🔗 Share this article

The Australian skipper has delivered superb back-to-back hundreds to guide her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113, arriving just a few days after her similarly brilliant 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I felt I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” she said.

Ironically, the utmost expertise of the day's chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed perhaps the team's weakest display in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for spilling a couple of the six catches that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the six missed catches represented 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 little while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” Healy commented.

It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest total in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But Alana King mesmeric continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was key to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

Healy was thrilled to learn that the triumph, which places her unbeaten team top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The experienced captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, reaching to her first World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.

The recalled Brown sent down the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was still the team's most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as King Stars

In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 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 against the Indian side four days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to take on the English team and the Proteas.”