The Australian skipper has delivered brilliant consecutive centuries to guide her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a commanding comprehensive victory over Bangladesh.
Healy finished unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her equally brilliant 142 that saw off hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I felt I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and progress,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s chase as the duo added 202 followed perhaps the team's shoddiest display in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and fortunately delivered,” Healy continued.
Since data was initially taken on fielding statistics in 2013, the six missed catches marked the team's worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” the captain commented.
This allowed the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.
But Alana King mesmeric unbroken 10-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Delighted with Victory that Confirms Semi-Final Place
Healy was thrilled to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated side at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she said.
The experienced captain sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
Litchfield Impresses with First Tournament Half-Century
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clean chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.
The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as King Leads
In contrast, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by 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) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the target was made to look straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against India four days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” said star performer Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to face England and the Proteas.”