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Alyssa Healy has executed superb consecutive hundreds to guide her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding 10-wicket trouncing over Bangladesh.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her similarly stellar 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to chase to their goal of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs came after perhaps the team's weakest display in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for spilling a couple of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately succeeded,” she added.

Since data was initially recorded on fielding metrics in 2013, the six dropped catches represented Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their best-ever total in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was key to making sure the team's target remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Confirms Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was thrilled to learn that the triumph, which places her undefeated team top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a place in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.

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

The Opener Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy spilled the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean chance off Brown but failed to review when the umpire rejected their shout.

The reinstated Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Stars

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by Alana King, whose performance could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.

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

A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record total against the Australians, but the total was made to look easy meat by a side 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 global tournament,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”