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Alyssa Healy has produced brilliant consecutive centuries to guide her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a dominant comprehensive victory over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113, arriving just a few days after her equally stellar 142 that defeated hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash 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 captain as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the utmost expertise of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs followed perhaps Australia’s weakest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” she added.

Since statistics was first recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed catches represented the team's worst fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

“Maybe it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” the captain commented.

This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But Alana King mesmeric unbroken ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was vital to making sure the team's target remained manageable.

Healy Delighted with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was pleased to learn that the triumph, which places her unbeaten side top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.

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

The Opener Impresses with Maiden World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, reaching to her first World Cup fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner got there off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable 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 official turned down their appeal.

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

Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Stars

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

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to 13.

A batter's 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Australians, but the total was rendered easy meat by a side who had chased down 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 player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to face the English team and the Proteas.”