🔗 Share this article

The Australian skipper has executed outstanding consecutive hundreds to guide her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, motivating them to a commanding 10-wicket trouncing over Bangladesh.

Healy remained not out on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to race to their target of 199 in just 24.5 overs.

“I felt I was a below par with the gloves, and probably a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of the day's run-chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed perhaps the team's poorest display in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately got the job done,” she added.

Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding statistics in 2013, the six dropped catches marked Australia’s worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy commented.

It helped the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken 10-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was key to ensuring the team's target remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the triumph, which places her unbeaten team top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.

Litchfield Impresses with First Tournament Fifty

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries soon after her partner got there off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a difficult lofted 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 Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Stars

Instead, the spinners excelled, led by Alana King, whose spell could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the target was rendered easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against India a few days before.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to face England and the Proteas.”