Healy Blasts a Second Hundred to Send Australia into World Cup Knockout Stage

The Australian skipper has produced brilliant consecutive centuries to steer her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless comprehensive win over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her similarly brilliant 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to dash to their goal of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I thought I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the duo added 202 followed perhaps Australia’s poorest performance in the field under the captain's leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for spilling two of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily delivered,” Healy continued.

From the time data was first taken on fielding metrics in 2013, the six missed opportunities marked Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

This allowed the opposition to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their highest total in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King mesmeric unbroken 10-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was key to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Spot

The Australian skipper was thrilled 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 place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with First World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries soon after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy spilled the simplest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Leads

Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to thirteen.

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

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to take on the English team and South Africa.”