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Alyssa Healy has produced brilliant back-to-back centuries to steer her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant comprehensive trouncing over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her similarly brilliant 142 that defeated the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to chase to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a below par with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” she said.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs came after possibly the team's shoddiest performance in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for spilling a couple of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily delivered,” Healy continued.

From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding metrics in 2013, the six missed opportunities represented the team's poorest fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” the captain said.

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

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was vital to making sure the team's target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Knockout Spot

The Australian skipper was thrilled to learn that the victory, which places her unbeaten side top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The 35-year-old skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from her partner later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with Maiden World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a tough skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear chance off Brown but failed to review when the official rejected their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Stars

Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spinners Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Aussies, but the total was made to look easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 against the Indian side four days before.

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