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The Australian skipper has delivered superb consecutive hundreds to lead her team into the last four of the World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant comprehensive win over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113, arriving just four days after her similarly impressive 142 that defeated the Indian team at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash 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 skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s chase as the pair put on 202 followed possibly the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for dropping 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 got the job done,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was first taken on fielding statistics in 2013, the half-dozen missed catches marked Australia’s worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” Healy commented.

This allowed the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their highest score in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken 10-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was key to ensuring the team's target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Victory that Seals Knockout Place

Healy was delighted to discover that the victory, which places her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, 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 fastest hundred of the tournament, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their shout.

The recalled Brown sent down the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as King Leads

In contrast, the spinners excelled, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the target was rendered easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India a few days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to face England and the Proteas.”