🔗 Share this article Healy Fires Another Hundred to Power the Australian Team into World Cup Semi-Finals The Australian skipper has produced outstanding consecutive centuries to steer her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a dominant comprehensive victory over their opponents. Healy remained not out on 113 runs, coming just four days after her equally impressive 142 that saw off hosts India at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 deliveries. “I thought I was a not at my best with the gloves, and probably a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said. Ironically, the supreme professionalism of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs came after perhaps the team's shoddiest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping a couple of the six chances that were missed. “I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued. Since statistics was first recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the six missed opportunities marked the team's poorest 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 reflect on,” the captain commented. This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever total in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions. But Alana King mesmeric continuous 10-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was crucial to making sure the team's target wasn’t too challenging. The Captain Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Place The Australian skipper was pleased to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed. The 35-year-old skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties. The Opener Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century The young batter Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 balls soon after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event. In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire rejected their shout. The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs. Spinners Thrive as Alana King Leads In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, led by King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips. Fellow spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to thirteen. A batter's 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their record score against the Aussies, but the target was made to look easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side a few days before. “It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face England and South Africa.”