Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant back-to-back centuries to steer her squad into the last four of the World Cup, motivating them to a dominant 10-wicket victory over their opponents.
Healy remained unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.
“I felt I was a below par with the gloves, and probably a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.
Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after possibly Australia’s weakest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen chances that went down.
“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily delivered,” she added.
Since statistics was first recorded on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities represented Australia’s worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.
“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy said.
This allowed the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their best-ever total in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to ensuring Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.
The Captain Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Spot
The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the victory, which places her undefeated team top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.
The Opener Impresses with First World Cup Half-Century
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their shout.
The recalled Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.
Spinners Thrive as King Stars
In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.
Fellow spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to 13.
Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against India four days before.
“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to Indore to take on the English team and South Africa.”