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Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant consecutive hundreds to steer her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113, coming just four days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a not at my best with the gloves, and probably a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and progress,” she said.

Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of the day's chase as the pair put on 202 came after perhaps the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the six catches that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and fortunately succeeded,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was initially taken on fielding metrics in 2013, the six missed catches represented the team's poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

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

It helped Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest score in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Delighted with Victory that Seals Knockout Place

Healy was pleased to discover that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The experienced captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the quickest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Aussies, but the total was made to look easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side four days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said star performer Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to face England and South Africa.”