The Australian skipper has produced brilliant back-to-back centuries to lead her squad into the last four of the World Cup, motivating them to a dominant comprehensive win over their opponents.
Healy finished not out on 113, arriving just four days after her similarly stellar 142 that defeated the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.
“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.
Ironically, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo added 202 runs came after perhaps the team's weakest performance in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for spilling a couple of the six catches that were missed.
“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and fortunately succeeded,” Healy continued.
Since data was first recorded on fielding metrics in 2013, the six dropped catches marked the team's worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.
“Maybe it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” Healy commented.
It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.
But Alana King mesmeric continuous ten-over spell, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s chase remained manageable.
Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Place
Healy was thrilled to discover that the triumph, which places her undefeated side top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.
The 35-year-old skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she pulled away from her partner later in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.
Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century
The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.
Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain dropped the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp 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 official rejected their appeal.
The recalled Brown sent down the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.
Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Stars
Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.
Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.
A batter's 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 against India four days earlier.
“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to face England and South Africa.”
