🔗 Share this article

Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding consecutive centuries to guide her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless comprehensive victory over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113, arriving just four days after her equally brilliant 142 that defeated hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.

Ironically, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed possibly the team's weakest performance in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for dropping two of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately succeeded,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was first recorded on fielding metrics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

This allowed the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But Alana King mesmeric continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was crucial to making sure Australia’s target remained manageable.

Healy Pleased with Victory that Seals Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the victory, which places her unbeaten team at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the semi-finals. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The experienced captain raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she pulled away from her partner later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner got there off 43. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their shout.

The recalled Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Stars

In contrast, the spinners thrived, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the target was rendered easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 against the Indian side four days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked star performer King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to face England and the Proteas.”