In a fitting finale to Alyssa Healy’s glittering ODI career, Australia registered their second highest-ever total against India in the third and final match of the series against India at Bellerive Oval in Hobart on Sunday, March 1.
Alyssa Healy’s masterclass lights up Hobart
Walking out to a guard of honour from the Indian team, Healy produced an innings for the ages in her final ODI appearance.
After Phoebe Litchfield’s departure for 14, caught by Shree Charani off Kashvee Gautam, Healy found an able partner in Georgia Voll. The pair added 104 runs off 91 deliveries for the second wicket, with Healy accelerating rapidly while Voll contributed a solid 62 off 52 balls before falling to Sneh Rana.
Record partnership between Healy and Beth Mooney
The true carnage began when Beth Mooney joined her long-time opening partner at the crease. With Australia at 136 for 2 in the 22nd over, the two most experienced batters in the lineup unleashed an assault that left the Indian bowling attack in tatters .
Healy and Mooney plundered 145 runs off just 92 deliveries, with Healy doing the bulk of the scoring – contributing 100 runs during the partnership while Mooney rotated strike efficiently with 44 off 49 balls at that stage. The Australian captain brought up her century off 79 balls and continued her onslaught, eventually falling for 158 off 98 deliveries in the 37th over, caught in two minds attempting a reverse sweep off Sneh Rana.
Her innings included 27 fours and two sixes, a masterclass in controlled aggression that demonstrated exactly why she will be remembered as one of the game’s all-time greats.
After Healy’s departure at 281 for 3 in the 37th over, Annabel Sutherland provided quick support to Mooney, adding 47 runs off 33 deliveries before falling to Deepti Sharma for 23. Ashleigh Gardner (4 off 5) and Tahlia McGrath (2 off 4) fell cheaply, but Georgia Wareham’s late cameo of 12 off 5 balls and Nicola Carey’s explosive unbeaten 34 off just 15 deliveries ensured Australia finished with a flourish.
Carey’s innings was particularly devastating, featuring 4 fours and a six as she added 54 unbeaten runs off just 25 balls with Mooney, who had by then settled into her anchor role.
Also WATCH: Mitchell Starc cheers as Alyssa Healy signs off with an ODI century against India
Mooney’s century caps perfect tribute to Healy
Beth Mooney’s unbeaten 106 off 101 balls was the perfect complement to Healy’s fireworks. The left-hander played the anchor role to perfection, rotating strike effectively during the middle overs before opening up in the final phase. She remained unbeaten when the innings closed, having faced 101 deliveries and struck 10 boundaries.
The partnership between Mooney and Healy underscored the remarkable understanding the pair have developed over years of opening together – an understanding that will now end in ODIs but leaves behind a legacy of match-winning stands .
Manwhile, India’s bowlers endured a difficult afternoon on a true Bellerive surface. Teenager Shree Charani was the most expensive, conceding 106 runs off her 10 overs while picking up two wickets – those of McGrath and Wareham. Sneh Rana provided the breakthrough wickets of Voll and Healy, finishing with 2 for 66 off 10 overs .
Renuka Singh (1 for 64) and Kashvee Gautam (1 for 83) also picked up wickets but at considerable cost, while Deepti Sharma’s 10 overs disappeared for 90 runs. The Indian attack simply had no answer to Australia’s depth and quality on a day when Healy was determined to sign off in style.
Australia’s total of 409 for 7 represents the eighth-highest total in women’s ODI history. The innings featured three fifty-plus scores – Healy’s 158, Mooney’s unbeaten 106, and Voll’s 62 – demonstrating the extraordinary depth in Australian women’s cricket as they prepare for the one-off Test against India starting March 6 in Perth.
Also WATCH: Alyssa Healy receives Guard of Honour from India players in her final ODI
This article was first published at WomenCricket.com, a Cricket Times company.
