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Alyssa Healy has delivered outstanding back-to-back centuries to steer her squad into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her similarly brilliant 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to chase to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

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

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo added 202 runs came after possibly the team's poorest display in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the captain scolding herself in especial for spilling a couple of the six catches that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” she added.

Since statistics was first taken on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented the team's worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” Healy 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 maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was key to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

Healy was delighted to learn that the triumph, which puts her undefeated team at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The experienced skipper raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, getting to her first tournament half-century off 46 deliveries soon after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Aussie duo 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 difficult lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the official rejected their shout.

The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads

Instead, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.

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

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 against the Indian side a few days before.

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