Alyssa Healy Fires a Second Hundred to Power the Australian Team into Cricket World Cup Final Four

Alyssa Healy has produced superb consecutive centuries to steer her squad into the semi-finals of the World Cup, driving them to a commanding comprehensive win over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113, arriving just four days after her equally impressive 142 that defeated the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their goal of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and probably a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and progress,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the pair added 202 followed possibly the team's weakest performance in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for spilling two of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily delivered,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the six dropped opportunities represented the team's worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” Healy commented.

This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was vital to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the victory, which puts her unbeaten side at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with First World Cup Fifty

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries soon after Healy got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding display, Healy dropped the simplest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.

The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the fastest balls 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.

Spinners Thrive as King Leads

In contrast, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Other spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Aussies, but the target was rendered easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India four days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”