Alyssa Healy’s masterful century led Australia to a 10-wicket win over Bangladesh which sealed the reigning champions’ place in the knockout stages.
Australia’s captain made it back-to-back World Cup hundreds with an unbeaten 113 in Visakhapatnam as she and Phoebe Litchfield, who made an unbeaten 84, chased down the target of 199 in just 24.5 overs.
Healy and Litchfield’s exploits saw Australia retake top spot in the group stage table and also broke the record for the highest successful ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup chase without losing a wicket.
King spins Australia into position of control
A collective bowling effort from the seven-time champions, led by Alana King (2/18), had earlier restricted Bangladesh to 198, who found themselves 165 for nine having slipped from 127 for four.
Fargana Hoque got Bangladesh’s innings off to a good start after they won the toss and chose to bat as the openers put on 32 for the first wicket.
Megan Schutt (1/11) and Darcie Brown bowled well and saw the ball regularly fly through the slip cordon with Rubya Haider dropped on 22 by Litchfield.
The end of the ninth over saw Australia make the breakthrough as Schutt found Fargana’s outside edge and Beth Mooney took a good catch to her right in the slips.
Rubya was dropped again the very next ball – this time by Healy – but kicked on after that with back-to-back fours at Annabel Sutherland’s expense in the 16th over, taking her to 40 and the score to 67 for one.
But the 28-year-old fell on 44 shortly after as she could only find Tahlia McGrath at mid-on when trying to slog Ash Gardner (2/48)
Sharmin Akhter’s dismissal was a carbon copy of Rubya’s to hand Gardner her second wicket before Nigar Sultana Joty was stumped by Healy after being deceived by King’s tossed up delivery.
From there, the Australian bowlers turned the screw as the wicket of Shorna Akter, whose unbeaten 51 from 35 balls almost guided the Tigresses to victory over South Africa last time out, triggered a collapse.
The combination of King and Mooney accounted for the 18-year-old and Georgia Wareham (2/22) and Sutherland (2/41) then tore through Bangladesh’s lower order. The duo picked up two wickets apiece as Ritu Moni, Fahima Khatun, Rabeya Khan and Nishita Akter Nishi all went cheaply.
Resistance came in the form of Sobhana Mostary, who played brilliantly for her unbeaten 66 and her late boundary hitting was crucial to her country setting a respectable target.
Healy and Litchfield’s unbroken stand too much for Bangladesh’s bowlers
However, Australia’s opening batters made light work of their chase.
Litchfield helped herself to two boundaries from Fariha Trisna in the third over as the 22-year-old looked to break the shackles early on.
Healy took a similarly attacking approach as the skipper plundered three fours from Trisna’s third over with the mid-wicket boundary proving particularly fruitful.
The pair took their opening stand past 50 in the eighth over and Litchfield hit the game’s first six as the century partnership approached.
Rubya’s missed stumping gave Litchfield a life on 46 and the same batter then brought up the fastest hundred partnership of the tournament from 13.5 overs.
Healy reached her 19th ODI half century, and fourth at World Cups, in the 15th over and Litchfield notched up her first World Cup fifty in the following over.
With the exception of a top-edge that was put down by Fargana, Healy looked in imperious form and progressed to her fourth World Cup hundred from just 73 balls in the 24th over.
And after a series of late boundaries from the duo, Litchfield smashed the ball to the mid-off boundary to win the match in style.
Bangladesh v Australia – ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam, India
Bangladesh 198/9 from 50.0 overs (Sobhana Mostary 66*, Rubya Haider 44; Alana King 2/18, Georgia Wareham 2/22)
Australia 202/0 from 24.5 overs (Alyssa Healy 113*, Phoebe Litchfield 84*; Shorna Akter 0/19, Nishita Akter Nishi 0/24, Fahima Khatun 0/24)
Result: Australia won by 10 wickets.
With thanks to the ICC
