The Australian skipper has delivered superb consecutive centuries to steer her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding comprehensive win over their opponents.
Healy remained unbeaten on 113, coming just a few days after her equally impressive 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.
“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” Healy remarked.
Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the pair added 202 runs followed perhaps Australia’s weakest display in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for spilling two of the six catches that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” Healy continued.
Since data was first recorded on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities marked Australia’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 an issue we’ll review,” Healy said.
This allowed the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the maiden half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.
But Alana King spellbinding continuous 10-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to ensuring Australia’s target remained manageable.
The Captain Delighted with Victory that Confirms Semi-Final Place
Healy was delighted to learn that the victory, which places her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.
The experienced skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty
The young batter Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a tough skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear chance off Brown but failed to review when the official turned down their shout.
The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spinners Excel as King Stars
Instead, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose performance could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.
Fellow spinners Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’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 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their record total against the Aussies, but the target was made to look straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 runs against India a few days before.
“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said star performer Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to take on the English team and South Africa.”