The Australian skipper has delivered superb consecutive centuries to guide her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a dominant 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.
Healy remained unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just four days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to race to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.
“I thought I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.
Ironically, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s chase as the duo put on 202 followed perhaps the team's shoddiest display in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for spilling a couple of the six catches that went down.
“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and fortunately got the job done,” Healy continued.
Since statistics was first taken on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the six missed opportunities marked the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” the captain said.
It helped Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever score 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 mesmeric unbroken ten-over spell, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was key to making sure the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.
Healy Delighted with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place
Healy was delighted to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.
The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from her partner later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
Litchfield Impresses with First Tournament Half-Century
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her first tournament half-century off 46 deliveries soon after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy spilled the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clear chance off Brown but failed to review when the official rejected their appeal.
The recalled Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars
Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Other spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 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 2-41, bringing her total to thirteen.
A batter's 44 and another's not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Aussies, but the total was rendered straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side four days before.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to take on the English team and South Africa.”
