🔗 Share this article Healy Hammers a Second Century to Propel Australia into World Cup Knockout Stage The Australian skipper has executed outstanding consecutive hundreds to steer her squad into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a dominant comprehensive victory over Bangladesh. The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113, coming just a few days after her similarly brilliant 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries. “I felt I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” she said. Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the pair added 202 came after perhaps the team's weakest display in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for spilling a couple of the six catches that went down. “I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately got the job done,” Healy continued. From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities represented Australia’s worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament. “Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” the captain commented. This allowed Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions. But the spinner's mesmeric continuous 10-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was vital to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging. The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Spot The Australian skipper was delighted to discover that the victory, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she said. The experienced captain raced to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their half-centuries. The Opener Shines with First Tournament Half-Century The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, reaching to her first World Cup fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup. In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clean chance off Brown but failed to review when the umpire turned down their appeal. The recalled Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs. Spinners Thrive as King Leads Instead, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon. Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her tally to thirteen. A batter's 44 and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India four days before. “It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to take on the English team and the Proteas.”