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Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding back-to-back hundreds to lead her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding 10-wicket trouncing over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her similarly stellar 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to dash to their goal of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a not at my best with the gloves, and probably a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair added 202 followed possibly Australia’s weakest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for spilling a couple of the six catches that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” she added.

Since data was first recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the six missed catches marked the team's worst fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” the captain said.

This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But Alana King spellbinding continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was key to making sure the team's target remained manageable.

Healy Delighted with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was thrilled to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten side at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The 35-year-old skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with First Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 balls soon after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain spilled the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off Brown but failed to review when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads

In contrast, the spinners excelled, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her tally to thirteen.

A batter's 44 and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their record total against the Australians, but the target was rendered easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to face the English team and South Africa.”