Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) [India], October 16 (ANI): Australia skipper Alyssa Healy overtook compatriot and former captain Meg Lanning for the most centuries in the ICC Women’s World Cup during their side’s 10-wicket win over Bangladesh at Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
While chasing down 199 runs for her side, Healy and Phoebe Litchfield dismantled Bangladesh bowlers, chasing down the target in 24.5 overs. Healy, coming into the fresh after an instant classic knock of 142 in 107 balls against India to chase down 330 runs, the highest-ever in women’s ODIs, smashed a second successive century. She scored 113* in 77 balls, with 20 fours, striking at 146.75, while her partner stayed unbeaten watching all the fun, at 84* in 72 balls, with 12 fours and a six.
Healy has repeated the feat of two successive tons in a World Cup twice, scoring 129 and 170 in the previous edition back in 2022. New Zealand’s Debbie Hockley was the first women’s batter to do so, scoring 100 and 100* in the 1997 edition.
This is Healy’s fourth WC ton, outdoing Lanning’s three tons. She is now level with Janette Brittin (ENG-W), Charlotte Edwards (ENG-W), Suzie Bates (NZ-W) for second-most tons in World Cup history. At the top is England all-rounder Nat Sciver Brunt with five tons.
This is the second-fastest ton by a batter in women’s ODI WC, in 73 balls, with the first being West Indies’ star Deandra Dottin’s 71-ball ton against Pakistan at Leicester in 2017.
Now in 21 WC matches, Healy has scored 901 runs in 18 innings at an average of 60.06 and a strike rate of 115.36, with four centuries and three fifties to her name. In the ongoing tournament, she is the top-run-getter, with 294 runs in four innings at an average of 98.00, with a strike rate of 131.25, with two centuries.
Healy has overtaken Alex Blackwell to become Australia’s fifth-highest run-getter in WODIs, with 3,558 runs in 122 matches and 110 innings at an average of 36.30, strike rate of 100, with seven centuries and 18 fifties.
This is the eighth 10-wicket victory for Australia in the Women’s ODI World Cups and the first since the 2005 edition. No team other than them has done that more than thrice, England being next with three times.
This is the second-highest target achieved by a team without a loss of wickets in women’s ODIs, with Australia pulling off a 218-run chase against Ireland in 2023 being the top effort.
This is also the third-highest partnership for Australia in ICC Women’s WC, with the top two being: 220 – R Buckstein & L Reeler vs NL-W, Perth, 1988 (1st wkt) and 216 – A Healy & R Haynes vs WI-W, Wellington, 2022 (1st wkt)
Coming to the match, Bangladesh opted to bat first on winning the toss. Sobhana Mostary (66* in 80 balls, with nine fours) and Rubya Haider (44 in 59 balls, with eight fours) stood out as Bangladesh made 198/9 in 50 overs. Ash Gardner, Annabel Sutherland, Alana King and Georgia Wareham took two wickets each.
Australia is into the semifinals, with four wins and a no result in five matches, while Bangladesh have won just one and lost four games, are at sixth spot. (ANI)
