VISAKHAPATNAM, India (AP) — Alyssa Healy scored 142 as defending champion Australia beat India by three wickets on Sunday in the highest successful run chase in women’s one-day international cricket.
Australia won with an over to spare under lights in dewy conditions and moved top of the standings at the Women’s Cricket World Cup with three wins from four games, including one washout.
Australia finished on 331-7 with Ellyse Perry (47 not out) hitting the winning six off the last ball of the 49th over, in reply to India’s 330 in 48.5 overs.
Healy’s 107-ball innings included 21 fours and three sixes. It was a sixth ODI hundred for the Australia skipper, her second against India and third at World Cups.
Earlier, Smriti Mandhana’s 80 runs off 66 balls provided a great start for India after Australia won the toss and opted to bowl.
Mandhana hit nine fours and three sixes. She put on 155 runs for the first wicket with Pratika Rawal, who scored 75 off 96 at the ACA-VDCA Stadium. But India lost its last six wickets for 36 runs, and its dismissal with seven balls left proved costly.
Co-host India lost its last game against South Africa by three wickets at the same venue.
Seven-time champion Australia is currently unbeaten in 12 Cricket World Cup games stretching back to the previous edition in 2022. It next plays Bangladesh on Thursday, at the same Visakhapatnam venue.
India has a week’s break before it plays four-time champion England in Indore next weekend.
Healy was player of the match.
“It was a bit tight at the end, but I’m really proud of the group today,” Healy said. “We have been preaching about our batting depth and this chase proves it. Full credit to our bowlers for pulling it back – we could have been chasing 360. I would have liked to stay longer, but to contribute heavily (today) was great.”
South Africa plays Bangladesh on Monday, also in Visakhapatnam.
Big total for India
Mandhana led India’s top-order revival as she and Rawal provided its best start of the tournament in the first-ever 150-plus opening stand against Australia in women’s ODIs.
Hitting nine fours and three sixes, Mandhana also crossed 1,000 calendar ODI runs – a first in women’s cricket. She scored 50 off 46 balls, also reaching 5,000 career runs in the quickest time (112 innings) and becoming the second Indian – fifth overall – women cricketer to achieve this feat.
Rawal hit 10 fours and a six. The pair made a slow start but accelerated once Australian spinners came on, scoring 50 off 52 balls.
Left-arm spinner Sophie Molineux proved expensive (3-75) but she broke through with Mandhana’s wicket. She also dismissed Harleen Deol who scored 38 off 42 balls.
Medium pacer Annabel Sutherland took 5-40 – her first five-wicket haul. She had Rawal caught in the 31st over, before triggering the lower-order collapse.
Skipper Kaur scored 22 off 17 balls, while Jemimah Rodrigues struck form with 33 off 21.
Richa Ghosh provided the final flourish, with 32 off 22 but Sutherland’s late burst of wickets cost India runs in the death overs as it crashed from 294-5 to 330 all out.
Healy leads record chase
Healy and Phoebe Litchfield responded with 85 runs off 68 balls for the first wicket.
Litchfield scored a 39-ball 40 as Australia took advantage of a dewy outfield. Healy struck a barrage of boundaries – she hit eight fours and a six in 50 off 35 balls.
Left-arm spinner Shree Charani got rid of Litchfield, but Perry added 69 off 76 balls with Healy for the second wicket. Perry walked off with a hamstring issue to return later and guide the chase home.
The break in play saw India then hit back as Beth Mooney (4) and Sutherland (0) fell cheaply.
Healy ploughed on – she reached 100 off 84 balls and shared a stand of 95 off 70 balls with Ashleigh Gardner (45 off 46).
Healy was out in the 39th over but Amanjot Kaur struck twice late to cause some concern for Australia but Perry and Kim Garth were there at the end for a stunning victory.
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