🔗 Share this article

The Australian skipper has produced outstanding consecutive centuries to steer her squad into the last four of the World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless 10-wicket trouncing over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her equally impressive 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” she said.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 came after perhaps the team's weakest performance in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for spilling a couple of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

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

From the time data was initially taken on fielding metrics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches marked the team's poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” the captain said.

This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their highest total in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter scoring the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But Alana King mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Spot

Healy was delighted to learn that the victory, which places her undefeated team at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

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

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her first World Cup half-century off 46 balls shortly after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest stand by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain spilled the easiest of edges off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The recalled Brown sent down the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the team's most expensive bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as King Stars

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to thirteen.

A batter's 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team 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 the Indian side a few days before.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said star performer Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to Indore to take on England and South Africa.”