Innings break Australia Women 356 for 5 (Healy 170, Haynes 68, Shrubsole 3-46) vs England Women
In an innings for the ages, Healy danced up and down the pitch and along her crease as she worked England’s bowlers all around the ground on her way to a career-best 170 off 138 balls in Christchurch. It was the highest individual score of the tournament – she passed captain Meg Lanning’s unbeaten 135 against South Africa, with fellow Australian opener Rachael Haynes sitting third on the list with 130 – and gave Healy 509 runs for the tournament.
Haynes contributed 68 and Beth Mooney a quick-fire 62 off just 47 balls, as England were asked to pull off a record successful chase in women’s ODIs.
Healy and Haynes put on a 160-run opening stand – a record partnership for any wicket in a World Cup final – as England struggled with their lengths, fielding and tactics after winning the toss and sending the Australians in.
Katherine Brunt and Anya Shrubsole, the veterans of England’s defending champions team, started well, getting the ball to swing, nailing their fuller lengths – which had been a problem particularly for Brunt earlier in the tournament – and keeping Australia contained to 14 for no loss after five overs. But Haynes and Healy were patient, biding their time and punishing any bad balls.
When Brunt bowled a couple of short balls in the seventh over, Haynes dispatched them behind square leg and, by the end of the powerplay, Australia were 37 for 0.
As the bowling changes came, Haynes and Healy upped the tempo and the pressure on England, with young offspinner Charlie Dean conceding seven and nine from first her two overs, including two fours in three balls as Haynes cut and drove crisply.
All of a sudden, Australia were 68 for 0 after 15 overs and England turned to Sophie Ecclestone, who was devastating with 6 for 36 in their semi-final against South Africa, and Kate Cross, who had been so quietly efficient during the competition.
But then the poor fielding which had dogged England’s three-match losing streak and had left their knockout qualification hopes hanging by a thread at the start of the tournament returned, as Cross saw two straightforward chances put down in one over. First, Danni Wyatt dropped Haynes on 47 diving to her left at backward point, and then Nat Sciver spilled a chance off Healy – on 41 at the time – at midwicket.
Capitalising on the gift, Healy struck consecutive fours in Cross’ next over, bludgeoning a short ball over midwicket to bring up her half-century before edging past the wicketkeeper.
Dean came in for some more punishment when she replaced Cross in the 25th over as Healy lofted her over mid-off and extra cover for two boundaries in three balls, charging down the first ball of her next over to send it back down the ground for a one-bounce four.
Brunt couldn’t stem the flow of runs either, and it wasn’t until Ecclestone returned that England finally made the breakthrough when Haynes skied the first ball of the 30th over to Tammy Beaumont, who held on at backward point, removing Haynes for her fourth fifty-plus score of this World Cup.
It counted for little though, as Beth Mooney – promoted to No. 3 – set about scoring at better than a run a ball and Healy continued her masterclass. Healy raised her century guiding Shrubsole for a single to deep point, screaming “yes!” for the run and then “yes!” for the ton as the batters crossed before embracing Mooney and then acknowledging the applause of the Hagley Oval crowd with a satisfied smile.
Healy narrowly survived a stumping chance off Cross in the 40th over as she and Mooney brought up their 100-run partnership off just 81 balls. The pair piled on the misery for England, adding 52 runs off three overs by Ecclestone and Sciver. During that time, Healy survived when she scooped Sciver to short fine leg where Beaumont couldn’t hold a difficult chance leaping high to her right.
Healy finally fell chasing a Shrubsole delivery outside off stump as Amy Jones completed the stumping. Australia then moved up big-hitting finisher Ashleigh Gardner, but she was run-out three balls later as Cross fired the ball back into Shrubsole from long-on.
Shrubsole picked up two wickets in two balls, ending with 3 for 46 after Beaumont took an impactful catch backpedalling from short third man to remove Lanning for just 10 and Mooney holed out to Sciver at deep midwicket.
But the overwhelming feeling was that Australia had done too much damage and still they didn’t let up. Ellyse Perry, returning to the side after back spasms had kept her out for the previous two matches, struck back-to-back fours off Shrubsole in the final over which went for 15 runs to take her side beyond the 350-mark.
Valkerie Baynes is a general editor at ESPNcricinfo