Alyssa Healy Hammers Another Ton to Send the Australian Team into World Cup Final Four

The Australian skipper has produced superb back-to-back hundreds to lead her team into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a commanding comprehensive trouncing over their opponents.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs.

“I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and probably a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.

Interestingly, the utmost expertise of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs followed possibly Australia’s weakest display in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen chances that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately got the job done,” she added.

Since statistics was initially taken on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities marked the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to making sure Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the triumph, which places her undefeated side at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The experienced captain sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

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

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy dropped the simplest of edges off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off Brown but failed to review when the official turned down their shout.

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

Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spinners Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Aussies, but the total was rendered easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side four days before.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to Indore to take on England and the Proteas.”