VISAKHAPATNAM: Captain Alyssa Healy hit an unbeaten 113, her second consecutive hundred, to guide defending champions Australia to the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup with a dominant 10-wicket win over Bangladesh on Thursday.
Healy and fellow opener Phoebe Litchfield, unbeaten on 84, barely put a step wrong as Australia romped to their victory target of 199 with 25.1 overs to spare in Visakhapatnam.
With a fourth win in five matches – the other was wiped out – seven-time champions Australia become the first team to secure a place in the last four in the 50-over tournament.
The left-handed Litchfield hit Fariha Trisna for two successive fours to ensure victory as they reached 202-0 in 24.5 overs.
Australia have two games left to play in the league stage, including a key showdown with rivals England next week and a surprised Healy learned about semi-final qualification in the post-match presentation.
“We are proud of our professionalism. We played well today to get the two points. We will come back and be prepared for the next game as well,” said Healy.
“I didn’t know we had made it to the semi-finals.”
Wicketkeeper-batsman Healy lifted her second successive ton following her heroics in the previous win over co-hosts India, as the captain’s 142 left Australia chasing 331.
She hammered 20 boundaries from her 77-ball knock while Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six as she raised her eighth ODI fifty.
The Australian spinners secured the win after holding Bangladesh to 198-9 in their 50 overs after electing to bat first, Ashleigh Gardner, Alana King and Georgia Wareham all taking two wickets each.
Sobhana Mostary hit a challenging unbeaten 66 to see Bangladesh play their full quota of overs after falling to 165-9 in the 46th over, but it was not enough to test the Australians.
Opener Rubya Haider got Bangladesh off to a strong start with her solid 44 as Bangladesh lost their first wicket in the ninth to pace spearhead Megan Schutt.
Rubya hit eight fours before hitting Gardner to mid-on. Sharmin Akhter followed suit, after which leg-spinners King and Wareham made further breakthroughs.
Captain Nigar Sultana was dismissed by King, who was named player of the match, and the rest of the batting faltered with only Mostary showing courage.
“Under these conditions, we should get more runs,” Nigar said. “Not being consistent as a batting unit has cost us.”
