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Alyssa Healy has delivered outstanding back-to-back hundreds to steer her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless 10-wicket win over their opponents.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113, arriving just a few days after her similarly brilliant 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 overs.

“I thought I was a not at my best with the gloves, and probably a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after perhaps the team's weakest display in the field under the captain's leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for spilling a couple of the half-dozen chances that went down.

“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.

Since data was first recorded on fielding performance metrics in 2013, the half-dozen missed catches marked the team's poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

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

This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Place

Healy was delighted to learn that the victory, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old captain raced to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the tournament, 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 shot for shot towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her first tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after her partner got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-highest stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the official rejected their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as King Stars

Instead, the spinners excelled, spearheaded by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Fellow spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the total was rendered easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 runs against India four days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to take on the English team and the Proteas.”