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Alyssa Healy has executed brilliant consecutive centuries to steer 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 not out on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and probably a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the pair added 202 runs came after perhaps the team's shoddiest performance in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen chances that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately succeeded,” Healy continued.

From the time data was initially taken on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities marked Australia’s poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

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

This allowed Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever total in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter compiling the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King mesmeric continuous 10-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was key to ensuring Australia’s target remained manageable.

Healy Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Spot

The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the victory, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a place in the semi-finals. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The experienced captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with First World Cup Half-Century

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her first tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, Healy spilled the simplest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a difficult lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their shout.

The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the team's most expensive bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as King Leads

In contrast, the spinners thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

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

A batter's 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the total was made to look easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 against the Indian side a few days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to the next venue to take on England and South Africa.”