Healy Fires Another Century to Send the Australian Team into Cricket World Cup Semi-Finals

The Australian skipper has delivered brilliant back-to-back hundreds to lead her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding comprehensive victory over Bangladesh.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113, arriving just four days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to race to their target of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of the day's run-chase as the duo added 202 runs followed perhaps Australia’s weakest display in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six catches that went down.

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

Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy commented.

This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to making sure the team's target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was delighted to discover that the triumph, which places her unbeaten team top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries soon after Healy got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean chance off Brown but failed to review when the umpire rejected their shout.

The reinstated Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars

Instead, the spinners excelled, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Other spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her tally to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side a few days before.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”

Michael Mccormick
Michael Mccormick

A tech analyst and trend forecaster with over a decade of experience in business innovation and market research.