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Alyssa Healy has executed outstanding consecutive centuries to steer her squad into the last four of the World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant comprehensive victory over Bangladesh.

Healy finished not out on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her similarly stellar 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an unbroken double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs.

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

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo added 202 runs came after perhaps Australia’s poorest display in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for spilling a couple of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily got the job done,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the six dropped opportunities represented Australia’s worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” Healy said.

It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Spot

Healy was thrilled to learn that the triumph, which places her unbeaten side at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she said.

The 35-year-old skipper sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her first tournament half-century off 46 deliveries soon after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy dropped the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clear catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their appeal.

The reinstated Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by Alana King, whose spell could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.

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

A batter's 44 and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever total against the Australians, but the total was made to look easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side four days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to face the English team and the Proteas.”