The Australian skipper has executed brilliant back-to-back hundreds to lead her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless comprehensive victory over their opponents.
The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her similarly brilliant 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to chase to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and move on,” she said.
Interestingly, the utmost expertise of the day's chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after possibly Australia’s weakest display in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for spilling two of the half-dozen chances that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily delivered,” Healy continued.
Since statistics was first taken on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities represented Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.
“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” the captain said.
It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever score in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But Alana King mesmeric unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was vital to making sure Australia’s target remained manageable.
The Captain Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Spot
Healy was thrilled to discover that the triumph, which puts her undefeated side at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.
The experienced skipper sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.
The Opener Impresses with Maiden World Cup Half-Century
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 balls soon after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.
In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.
The recalled Brown sent down the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spinners Excel as King Leads
Instead, the spinners excelled, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.
Other spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to thirteen.
A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the total was made to look straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against India four days earlier.
“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it won't end here. We anticipate going back to Indore to face the English team and the Proteas.”
