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Alyssa Healy has produced superb consecutive hundreds to guide her team into the last four of the World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant 10-wicket win over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her equally impressive 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of the day's run-chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed possibly the team's shoddiest performance in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for spilling two of the six chances 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,” Healy continued.

From the time data was first taken on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches marked Australia’s poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

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

It helped the opposition to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their highest total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

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

The Captain Delighted with Victory that Seals Knockout Spot

The Australian skipper was pleased to learn that the triumph, which puts her undefeated side top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.

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

The Opener Impresses with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her first tournament half-century off 46 deliveries soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the simplest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Leads

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

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

A batter's 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side four days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said star performer Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We anticipate returning to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”