Healy Blasts a Second Ton to Send Australia into World Cup Semi-Finals

The Australian skipper has delivered outstanding consecutive hundreds to guide her team into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a dominant comprehensive trouncing over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113, arriving just four days after her similarly stellar 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 overs.

“I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the duo added 202 runs followed perhaps the team's shoddiest display in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the six chances that went down.

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

From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding performance metrics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches marked Australia’s worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” the captain said.

It helped Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their highest total in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter compiling the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken 10-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was key to making sure the team's target remained manageable.

Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was pleased to learn that the triumph, which puts her undefeated side at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The experienced captain sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Impresses with First Tournament Fifty

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest stand by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their shout.

The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the quickest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the team's most expensive bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads

Instead, the spinners thrived, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the target was rendered easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face England and South Africa.”