The Australian skipper has delivered brilliant back-to-back centuries to guide her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a commanding 10-wicket victory over their opponents.
Healy remained not out on 113, coming just four days after her equally stellar 142 that saw off the Indian team at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of the day's chase as the pair put on 202 followed perhaps Australia’s weakest display in the field under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for spilling a couple of the six chances that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily delivered,” she added.
From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed catches represented Australia’s worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.
“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll review,” the captain commented.
This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.
But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to making sure Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Spot
The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the victory, which places her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.
The 35-year-old skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.
Litchfield Impresses with First World Cup Half-Century
The young batter Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her first tournament half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner got there off 43. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean catch off Brown but failed to review when the umpire rejected their shout.
The reinstated Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as King Leads
Instead, the spinners excelled, led by Alana King, whose spell could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to 13.
A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Australians, but the target was rendered straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 against India four days before.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to take on England and the Proteas.”
