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Alyssa Healy has produced brilliant back-to-back centuries to guide her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a commanding 10-wicket victory over their opponents.

Healy finished not out on 113 runs, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the same Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the utmost expertise of the day's chase as the pair put on 202 runs followed possibly the team's poorest performance in the field under the captain's leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for spilling a couple of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily delivered,” Healy continued.

Since data was initially recorded on fielding performance metrics in 2013, the six missed catches represented Australia’s worst fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” the captain commented.

It helped Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to making sure Australia’s target remained manageable.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Place

Healy was pleased to discover that the victory, which puts her unbeaten side top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-highest stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding display, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their shout.

The recalled Brown sent down the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Leads

In contrast, the spinners thrived, led by King, whose performance could have been more successful if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her position 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 off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Aussies, but the target was made to look straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side a few days before.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face England and South Africa.”