Alyssa Healy’s sublime form continued as the Australian skipper hammered her second consecutive century to lead her side to a dominant 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the Women’s ODI World Cup on Thursday. After opting to bat, Bangladesh were restricted to 198 for 9, with Australia’s disciplined bowling keeping them in check. In reply, Healy (113* off 77 balls) and Phoebe Litchfield (84* off 72 balls) made light work of the target, finishing the chase in just 24.5 overs.
The seven-time champions, chasing their second straight win, showed complete control as Healy and Litchfield tore into the Bangladesh attack from the outset. Healy, fresh from her 142 in a record chase of 331 earlier in the tournament, looked in fine touch once again, finding gaps with ease and dispatching loose deliveries with precision. Her unbeaten knock included 20 boundaries, while Litchfield matched her skipper’s aggression, striking 12 fours and a six. The left-hander sealed the win in style, hitting Fariha Trisna for back-to-back boundaries to wrap up the chase well before the halfway mark. Bangladesh’s spinners, usually their strength, struggled to contain the pair as Australia’s openers dominated every phase of the innings. Earlier, Bangladesh’s innings was held together by Shobana Mostary, who top-scored with an unbeaten 66 off 80 balls. This is the highest score by a Bangladeshi batter against Australia in women’s cricket. Rubya Haider gave the innings a solid start with 44 off 59 balls, but regular wickets prevented Bangladesh from building momentum.
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Australia’s bowlers shared the spoils, with Alana King (2/18), Annabel Sutherland (2/41), Ashleigh Gardner (2/49), and Georgia Wareham (2/22) picking up two wickets each. Despite Haider and Mostary’s efforts, Bangladesh’s total proved no challenge for the defending champions, who now move closer to sealing their semifinal spot with yet another commanding performance.
