🔗 Share this article

The Australian skipper has delivered superb consecutive centuries to guide her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a dominant 10-wicket win over their opponents.

Healy finished not out on 113, arriving just a few days after her similarly impressive 142 that defeated hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of the day's run-chase as the duo added 202 came after possibly Australia’s poorest display in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the half-dozen chances that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily succeeded,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities represented the team's worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy said.

It helped Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their highest total in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King mesmeric unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Seals Knockout Spot

Healy was thrilled to discover that the triumph, which puts her undefeated team at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from her partner later in the innings after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her first World Cup half-century off 46 balls shortly after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean chance off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their appeal.

The reinstated Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as King Leads

Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spin bowlers 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, bringing her total to 13.

A batter's 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their record score against the Aussies, but the target was rendered easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 runs against India a few days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to face England and South Africa.”