Alyssa Healy Fires a Second Century to Power Australia into World Cup Semi-Finals

Alyssa Healy has executed superb consecutive hundreds to guide her squad into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a dominant 10-wicket win over their opponents.

Healy finished not out on 113, arriving just a few days after her similarly brilliant 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” she said.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 came after possibly Australia’s shoddiest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the half-dozen chances that went down.

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

Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the six missed opportunities represented the team's worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” Healy commented.

This allowed the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Victory that Confirms Semi-Final Place

Healy was pleased to learn that the victory, which places her unbeaten side at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The experienced skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Impresses with First Tournament Half-Century

The young batter Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls shortly after Healy got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clear chance off Brown but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.

The reinstated Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowling option, conceding 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 even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

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

Rubya Haider’s 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the total was rendered straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 runs against India a few days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to take on England and South Africa.”