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Alyssa Healy has delivered superb back-to-back centuries to steer her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, motivating them to a dominant 10-wicket trouncing over their opponents.

Healy finished not out on 113, arriving just a few days after her equally impressive 142 that defeated hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I thought I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s chase as the pair added 202 runs followed possibly Australia’s shoddiest display in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen chances that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was first recorded on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented Australia’s worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

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

This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s target remained manageable.

The Captain Delighted with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place

Healy was delighted to learn that the triumph, which places her unbeaten team at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The experienced skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from her partner later in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off Brown but failed to review when the official rejected their appeal.

The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was still the team's costliest bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as King Stars

Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to 13.

A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the target was rendered straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India a few days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to face the English team and the Proteas.”