Alyssa Healy, the Australian skipper, maintained her phenomenal form, registering her second consecutive century to guide her team to a resounding 10-wicket triumph over Bangladesh in the Women’s ODI World Cup.
After Bangladesh chose to bat first, Australia’s disciplined bowling attack effectively contained them, restricting their innings to 198 for 9. In response, Healy, with an unbeaten 113 runs off just 77 balls, and Phoebe Litchfield, who scored a brilliant 84 not out off 72 balls, made the chase look remarkably easy, concluding the match in a mere 24.5 overs.
The seven-time champions, aiming for their second consecutive win in the tournament, demonstrated absolute control from the very start of their innings. Healy, fresh off her impressive 142 in a record-breaking 331-run chase earlier, once again displayed her exceptional touch, effortlessly finding gaps and punishing any loose deliveries.
Her commanding innings included an impressive 20 boundaries, while Litchfield mirrored her captain’s aggressive approach, smashing 12 fours and a six. The left-hander fittingly sealed the victory in emphatic style, hitting back-to-back boundaries off Fariha Trisna, well before the halfway mark of the allocated overs.
Earlier in the day, Bangladesh’s spin bowlers, typically their strongest asset, struggled to make an impact against Australia’s openers. Bangladesh’s innings was anchored by Shobana Mostary, who top-scored with an unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls – marking the highest individual score by a Bangladeshi batter against Australia in women’s cricket. Rubya Haider also provided a solid start with 44 runs from 59 balls, but a steady fall of wickets prevented Bangladesh from building significant momentum.
Australia’s bowlers shared the wickets, with Alana King (2/18), Annabel Sutherland (2/41), Ashleigh Gardner (2/49), and Georgia Wareham (2/22) each claiming two victims. Despite the efforts of Haider and Mostary, Bangladesh’s total posed no real threat to the defending champions, who are now well on their way to securing a semi-final berth with another commanding performance.