🔗 Share this article

The Australian skipper has executed brilliant back-to-back hundreds to lead her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant 10-wicket win over Bangladesh.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113, coming just four days after her equally impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the win and move on,” she said.

Ironically, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 followed possibly the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily succeeded,” she added.

From the time data was first taken on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the six missed catches marked the team's poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” 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 the Aussies, with a key batter compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to making sure the team's target remained manageable.

Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

Healy was pleased to discover that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with First World Cup Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries soon after her partner got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off Brown but failed to review when the umpire rejected their shout.

The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Stars

In contrast, the spinners thrived, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney 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 overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Aussies, but the total was made to look easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against India a few days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to take on England and the Proteas.”