🔗 Share this article Alyssa Healy Hammers a Second Century to Send the Australian Team into World Cup Knockout Stage Alyssa Healy has executed brilliant back-to-back hundreds to guide her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a dominant comprehensive victory over Bangladesh. The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her similarly brilliant 142 that defeated the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs. “I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” Healy remarked. Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the duo added 202 runs followed perhaps the team's weakest performance in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six chances that went down. “I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” she added. Since statistics was initially taken on fielding performance metrics in 2013, the six missed opportunities marked Australia’s poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup. “Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll review,” Healy said. This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their best-ever score in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions. But Alana King spellbinding continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to making sure the team's target remained manageable. The Captain Pleased with Win that Seals Knockout Spot The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated team top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed. The 35-year-old captain sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties. The Opener Impresses with First Tournament Half-Century The young batter Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup. In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clear chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their shout. The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs. Spinners Excel as Alana King Stars In contrast, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon. Fellow spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to thirteen. Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the target was made to look straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 against India a few days before. “It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to Indore to face the English team and the Proteas.”