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The Australian skipper has executed outstanding back-to-back hundreds to guide her team into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a dominant 10-wicket win over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113, arriving just a few days after her equally stellar 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to chase to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and probably a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo added 202 followed possibly Australia’s shoddiest display in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for dropping two of the six chances that were missed.

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

From the time data was first taken on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed 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 while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” the captain said.

It helped Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was key to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Victory that Seals Knockout Spot

The Australian skipper was pleased to learn that the victory, which places her unbeaten side at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That's great news,” she said.

The experienced skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her first World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries soon after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain spilled the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their shout.

The reinstated Brown sent down the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Stars

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

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

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

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to face England and South Africa.”