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The Australian skipper has produced outstanding consecutive hundreds to guide her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her equally impressive 142 that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's run-chase as the duo added 202 runs followed possibly Australia’s weakest display in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the six catches that were missed.

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

From the time data was first taken on fielding metrics in 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities represented Australia’s worst fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy said.

It helped Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

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

Healy Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Spot

The Australian skipper was delighted to discover that the victory, which places her undefeated side at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from her partner later in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

The young batter Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her first tournament half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner got there off 43. 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 subpar fielding effort, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire rejected their shout.

The reinstated Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as King Leads

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

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

Rubya Haider’s 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Australians, but the target 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,” remarked star performer King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to returning to Indore to take on England and South Africa.”