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The Australian skipper has executed superb consecutive centuries to steer her squad into the semi-finals of the World Cup, driving them to a dominant 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113, coming just four days after her equally impressive 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I thought I was a not at my best with the gloves, and probably a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.

Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 came after perhaps the team's poorest display in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in especial for spilling a couple of the six catches that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily delivered,” she added.

From the time data was first recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed catches represented Australia’s worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” the captain said.

This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s target remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Confirms Knockout Place

Healy was pleased to learn that the triumph, which places her undefeated side top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The experienced skipper sped to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Impresses with First World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their shout.

The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as King Leads

In contrast, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Other spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her tally to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their record total against the Australians, but the total was made to look easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side a few days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said star performer Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to Indore to take on the English team and the Proteas.”