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Alyssa Healy has delivered superb back-to-back centuries to lead her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a commanding 10-wicket win over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to chase to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of the day's run-chase as the duo added 202 followed perhaps the team's weakest display in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six chances that went down.

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

Since data was first recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities marked Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” the captain commented.

It helped Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King mesmeric continuous ten-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was vital to making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Pleased with Victory that Seals Knockout Spot

Healy was delighted to discover that the victory, which puts her unbeaten side at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The experienced skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her first World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries soon after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy spilled the easiest of edges off a teammate and also failed to grasp a tough lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clean chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their shout.

The recalled Brown sent down the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Stars

Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to thirteen.

A batter's 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to take on the English team and South Africa.”