Healy Fires Another Century to Send Australia into World Cup Semi-Finals

The Australian skipper has executed brilliant back-to-back hundreds to steer her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding 10-wicket victory over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113, arriving just four days after her equally impressive 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to race to their target of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and progress,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of the day's chase as the pair added 202 runs came after perhaps the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily delivered,” Healy continued.

From the time data was initially recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities represented the team's poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” the captain said.

It helped the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was key to ensuring the team's target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Win that Seals Knockout Spot

The Australian skipper was pleased to learn that the victory, which places her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden World Cup Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, getting to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy got there off 43. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clean chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their appeal.

The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the team's most expensive bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as King Stars

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.

A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the total was made to look straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 runs against India four days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match 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 the Proteas.”

Michelle Anderson
Michelle Anderson

A seasoned betting analyst with over a decade of experience in UK sports markets and casino gaming strategies.

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