🔗 Share this article Alyssa Healy Fires a Second Hundred to Propel Australia into Cricket World Cup Final Four The Australian skipper has executed brilliant consecutive centuries to lead her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding comprehensive victory over their opponents. Healy finished unbeaten on 113, arriving just four days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs. “I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and progress,” Healy remarked. Interestingly, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s chase as the duo added 202 followed possibly Australia’s shoddiest display in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for spilling a couple of the half-dozen chances that were missed. “I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued. Since data was initially taken on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities represented Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament. “Perhaps it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” Healy said. This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions. But the spinner's mesmeric continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to ensuring Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging. The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Spot Healy was thrilled to learn that the triumph, which puts her undefeated side at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed. The experienced skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties. The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event. In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, 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 did take a clean catch off Brown but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal. The recalled Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs. Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Stars Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, led by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon. Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to 13. Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their record total against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against India four days before. “It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to face England and South Africa.”