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The Australian skipper has executed brilliant consecutive hundreds to lead her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a merciless 10-wicket win over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113, arriving just a few days after her similarly brilliant 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and move on,” she said.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of the day's chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after perhaps the team's shoddiest display in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

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

Since data was first recorded on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities marked the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

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

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was vital to making sure Australia’s target remained manageable.

Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was thrilled to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The experienced skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries soon after Healy got there off 43. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean chance off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads

Instead, the spinners thrived, led by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their record score against the Aussies, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India four days before.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to face England and South Africa.”