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Alyssa Healy has executed superb back-to-back centuries to steer her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket win over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly stellar 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash to their target of 199 in just under 25 overs.

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

Ironically, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo put on 202 runs followed possibly Australia’s weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in especial for spilling two of the six 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.

Since statistics was initially taken on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the six dropped catches represented Australia’s worst fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

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

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

But the spinner's mesmeric continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring the team's chase remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Place

Healy was delighted to discover that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten side at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her first tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a tough lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire rejected their shout.

The reinstated Brown sent down the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads

Instead, the slow bowlers thrived, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.

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

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” said star performer Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to take on the English team and the Proteas.”