🔗 Share this article Alyssa Healy Fires Another Century to Propel the Australian Team into Cricket World Cup Semi-Finals Alyssa Healy has executed brilliant consecutive centuries to lead her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a commanding comprehensive trouncing over their opponents. The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113, arriving just a few days after her equally brilliant 142 that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries. “I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and progress,” she said. Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair added 202 runs followed perhaps Australia’s poorest performance in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in particular for spilling two of the six catches that were missed. “I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” she added. Since data was initially recorded on fielding performance metrics in 2013, the half-dozen missed catches represented Australia’s worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup. “Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy said. This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions. But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to making sure Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging. Healy Pleased with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Spot Healy was thrilled to discover that the victory, which puts her unbeaten team 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 great news,” she exclaimed. The experienced skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from her partner later in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries. The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Half-Century Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Australian duo at a World Cup event. In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain spilled the simplest of edges off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clean chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their appeal. The recalled Brown bowled the quickest 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 Thrive as King Leads In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips. Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to thirteen. Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the target was rendered easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 runs against India four days before. “It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said star performer King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to Indore to take on the English team and South Africa.”