The Australian skipper has produced outstanding consecutive centuries to steer her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket victory over their opponents.
Healy remained unbeaten on 113, coming just four days after her equally stellar 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to dash to their target of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.
“I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.
Interestingly, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed perhaps Australia’s shoddiest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six catches that went down.
“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately succeeded,” Healy continued.
Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” the captain commented.
It helped Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.
But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was key to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.
The Captain Pleased with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Place
The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the victory, which places her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That’s really cool,” she said.
The experienced captain sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
Litchfield Impresses with First World Cup Half-Century
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, reaching to her first tournament fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.
In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clear catch off Brown but failed to review when the official turned down their shout.
The reinstated Brown bowled the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was still the team's most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Stars
In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.
Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her total to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their record score against the Aussies, but the target was made to look easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 against the Indian side a few days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it won't end here. We anticipate returning to Indore to take on England and South Africa.”
