Alyssa Healy Fires a Second Hundred to Propel Australia into World Cup Final Four

Alyssa Healy has delivered superb back-to-back centuries to steer her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless comprehensive victory over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her similarly impressive 142 that defeated hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their goal of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's run-chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after possibly Australia’s poorest display in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for spilling two of the six chances that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities marked Australia’s worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

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

It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was vital to making sure the team's target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Spot

Healy was pleased to learn that the triumph, which puts her undefeated team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

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

The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries soon after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clean chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their appeal.

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

Spinners Excel as King Leads

Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, led by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their record score against the Aussies, but the total was rendered straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against India a few days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to face the English team and South Africa.”