Alyssa Healy smacked a brilliant 170 off 138 balls, including 26 boundaries, as Australia reached a dominant 356/5 against England in the final of the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup at a sunny Hagley Oval on Sunday.
Apart from Healy’s magnificent knock which will be regarded as the greatest ODI knock of all time and left the cricketing world enthralled, her opening partner Rachael Haynes hit 68 while Beth Mooney justified her promotion to number three with a quick 47-ball 62.
For England, it was a forgettable day on the field where missed catches, misfields, and wayward bowling meant nothing went their way after captain Heather Knight won the toss and elected to field first on a fresh pitch.
After seeing off the swing challenge from pacers Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole in the first ten overs, Healy and Haynes opened up to go on a rampage, pushing England on the backfoot. While Haynes was the early aggressor, Healy soon took over from her to dish out a masterclass in making a big knock at a World Cup final.
Australia, especially Healy, took advantage of England’s errors on the field as well as with the ball. In the 21st over, both Healy and Haynes were dropped by Nat Sciver and Danni Wyatt on 42 and 47 respectively off pacer Kate Cross. Though Haynes couldn’t get a century, Healy ensured that she stayed at the crease after the 160-run partnership to bring her second successive century in the knockout matches of the ongoing mega event.
Against the spinners, Healy made use of her feet to dominate the spinners, especially Charlie Dean. She went back foot at times to nail her cuts and drives and even brought out the scoop twice to get runs at a rapid rate. Mooney complimented her well with her brisk shots during the partnership of 156 for the second wicket.
During her whirlwind knock of 170, Healy became the first player, men’s or women’s, to score more than 150 in a World Cup final, going past 149 made by Adam Gilchrist in the 2007 men’s final against Sri Lanka. Her tally of 509 runs has made her the leading run-scorer of the tournament and is also the most runs scored by a player in an edition of the women’s Cricket World Cup.
Though Shrubsole came back to pick up wickets and stall the run-flow in the fag end of Australia’s innings, Healy’s stupendous show with a wide array of shots all around the ground kept the six-time champions in pole position at the interval, leaving England, the defending champions staring, at an uphill mountain to climb.
Brief Scores:
Australia 356/5 in 50 overs (Alyssa Healy 170, Rachael Haynes 68; Anya Shrubsole 3/46, Sophie Ecclestone 1/71) vs England.
