Alyssa Healy Hammers a Second Ton to Send Australia into World Cup Semi-Finals

The Australian skipper has produced superb back-to-back centuries to lead her squad into the last four of the World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding comprehensive win over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her equally brilliant 142 that defeated the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to race to their target of 199 in just 24.5 overs.

“I felt I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and probably a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and move on,” she said.

Ironically, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo added 202 runs followed perhaps the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the six chances that were missed.

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

From the time data was first recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped 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 little while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” Healy commented.

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

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was vital to making sure Australia’s chase remained manageable.

The Captain Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was delighted to learn that the victory, which puts her unbeaten side top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The experienced captain sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from her partner later in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with First World Cup Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their shout.

The recalled Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as King Stars

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

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

A batter's 44 runs and another's not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their record score against the Aussies, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 against the Indian side a few days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to Indore to take on the English team and South Africa.”