The Australian skipper has produced superb back-to-back hundreds to guide her team into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a merciless comprehensive win over Bangladesh.
Healy finished unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly stellar 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 deliveries.
“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” she said.
Ironically, the utmost professionalism of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs came after possibly Australia’s weakest display in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six catches that were missed.
“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and fortunately delivered,” Healy continued.
From the time statistics was first taken on fielding statistics in 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities marked the team's poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll review,” Healy said.
This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever total in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But Alana King spellbinding unbroken 10-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to making sure the team's chase remained manageable.
The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Place
The Australian skipper was delighted to learn that the victory, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old captain raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.
The Opener Shines with Maiden Tournament Fifty
The young batter Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her first World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest stand by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, Healy spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clear catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their shout.
The reinstated Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Leads
Instead, the spinners excelled, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Other spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to thirteen.
Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the total was rendered straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”
