Healy quits ODI cricket on a high
Captain Alyssa Healy bid adieu to ODI cricket on a glorious note, smashing a rampaging 158 as Australia whitewashed India 3-0 in the series with a 185-run thrashing of the world champions in the third and final match here on Sunday.
It was a fairytale ODI swansong for the 35-year-old Healy as her 158 and Beth Mooney's unbeaten 106, powered Australia to a mammoth 409 for seven after being asked to bat. Chasing a massive target of 410, India were all out for 224 in 45.1 overs to lose the three-match series 0-3.
Healy will draw curtains to her illustrious international career after playing the one-off pink-ball Test in Perth against India from March 6.
She has accumulated 3777 runs from 126 ODIs, hitting eight centuries and 19 half tons. Australia lost Phoebe Litchfield (14) early but Healy and Georgia Voll (62 off 52) shared 134 runs for the second wicket to take Australia forward.
Healy and Mooney then stitched 145 runs for the third wicket to hand Australia a launching pad for the big score. Playing in her 126th ODI, Healy decorated her eighth ODI century with as many 27 boundaries and two maximums from the 98 balls she faced.
Voll hit seven fours and one six during her knock, while Mooney's knock was studded with 10 hits to the fence and one six. Annabel Sutherland (23) and Nicola Cary (34 off 15) played good hands towards the end. For India, Sneh Rana (2/66) picked up two wickets, and Shree Charani (2/106) became only the third bowler to concede 100-plus runs in an ODI.
India never really got going in their run chase as they lost wickets at regular intervals.
Vice-captain and in-form Smriti Mandhana was the first to depart in the second over before Pratika Rawal (27 off 21) and Jemimah Rodrigues (42 off 29) added 54 runs for the second wicket.
But the floodgates opened once Rawal departed in the eighth over, caught plumb in front of the wicket by Annabel Sutherland.
Rodrigues, who was playing brilliantly with nine boundaries, was the next to go, caught at short fine-leg by Hamilton off Ashleigh Gardner as the batter went for a sweep, only to get a top-edge.
Harleen Deol (14) too failed to make any substantial contribution.
Much was expected from skipper Harmanpreet Kaur but she could only make 25 off 33 balls before being dismissed LBW by Alana King.
Richa Ghosh (18) and Kashvee Gautam too disappointed as the asking was too much for the Indians.
Towards the end, Deepti Sharma (29 off 47) and Sneh Rana stitched 63 runs for the eighth wicket but that was not enough as the Indian innings never really got the impetus which it needed to chase down the huge target.
Deepti was sent packing by King, LBW in the 40th over.
Brought into the side for the fixture, Rana made instant impact with both bat and ball.
She first returned with impressive figures of 2/66 and then made 44 off 74 balls with that bat to prove her case, albeit in a losing cause as India were bowled out for 224 in 45.1 overs.
India had lost the first two ODIs by six and five wickets respectively. The visitors, however, won the preceding three-match T20 series 2-1.
Australia now leads the multi-format series 8-4 on points.
The trophy for the multi-format series will be decided on points, with two points for each T20 and 50-over victory and four for a Test triumph.
