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

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113 runs, coming just four days after her equally stellar 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a not at my best with the gloves, and probably a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of the day's chase as the pair added 202 came after possibly Australia’s shoddiest display in the field under the captain's leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping a couple of the six catches that went down.

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

Since statistics was first recorded on fielding performance metrics in 2013, the six dropped catches represented Australia’s poorest fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

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

This allowed the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was key to making sure the team's chase remained manageable.

Healy Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Spot

Healy was delighted to discover that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The experienced skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Shines with First World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 balls soon after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, Healy dropped the simplest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clear catch off Brown but failed to review when the official rejected their appeal.

The recalled Brown bowled the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Leads

Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Fellow spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her total to thirteen.

A batter's 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their record score against the Aussies, but the target was made to look easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side four days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said star performer King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to take on England and the Proteas.”