Alyssa Healy shines as Australia dominate West Indies to book World Cup final spot
- Planet Sport writer
- 30 March 2022
Australia put on a devastating performance in Wellington as they secured their place in the Women’s World Cup final with a comprehensive victory over the West Indies.
Alyssa Healy was the star of the show as her 129 runs helped Australia to a total of 305/3 from a rain-reduced 45 overs. Rachael Haynes was similarly impressive, as her score of 85 moved her side a step closer towards their seventh world title.
Australia continued their dominance with the ball as they bowled out the West Indies for a mere 148. The six-time World Cup winners will now look to back up their 157-run victory against either England or South Africa in the final.
The opening partnership of Healy and Haynes proved decisive as the pair produced a stand of 216. Moments later, Beth Mooney's 43 runs from 31 balls moved the Aussies past 300.
West Indies made a half-decent start with the bat, but trouble began to brew as Deandra Dottin, Haley Matthews and Stefanie Taylor all fell before 50. The team then collapsed and went from 91/3 to 148 all out. Frustratingly for the 2013 finalists, Chinelle Henry and Anisa Mohammed were unable to bat because of injuries.
Australia shared the wickets around with Jess Johansen impressing most having taken two for 14.
The Aussies are the most successful nation in the history of the tournament, and they remain the overwhelming favourites to win their first crown in nine years.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, captain Meg Lanning said: "I've been involved in some very stressful semi-finals in the past. It wasn't as easy as what it looked, it was nice to get the result, but we worked hard for it.
"We felt that first hour was really important. It can be tricky early, so the way Healy and Haynes batted up top was excellent. They showed some really good discipline, left the good balls and punished the bad ones. That set us up really nicely.
"I think we can be really satisfied with today's performance in a big game, up against a very dangerous team. The batters set it up really nicely and then we were very disciplined with the ball. We'll enjoy the win, but we certainly came here to win the tournament and that's what we're looking for."
The second semi-final takes place on Thursday at 02:00 GMT as England and South Africa go head-to-head.
