Alyssa Healy Hammers a Second Century to Send Australia into World Cup Knockout Stage

The Australian skipper has delivered brilliant consecutive centuries to lead her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a commanding 10-wicket win over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113, arriving just four days after her equally stellar 142 that defeated the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to chase to their target of 199 in just 24.5 overs.

“I felt I was a below par with the gloves, and probably a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after perhaps the team's poorest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for dropping two of the six chances that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued.

Since data was initially recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the six missed opportunities marked Australia’s worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” the captain said.

It helped the opposition to eke out 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their best-ever score in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

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

Healy Delighted with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

Healy was delighted to discover that the victory, which places her undefeated side top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The 35-year-old skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished 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 boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with First Tournament Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her first World Cup half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her tally to thirteen.

A batter's 44 and another's not out 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against India a few days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to Indore to face England and the Proteas.”

Jennifer Harris
Jennifer Harris

A certified financial planner with over 15 years of experience in wealth management and retirement planning.