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Alyssa Healy has delivered outstanding back-to-back centuries to guide her squad into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a merciless comprehensive victory over their opponents.

Healy finished unbeaten on 113, arriving just four days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to race to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 overs.

“I thought I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” she said.

Interestingly, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s chase as the duo added 202 runs came after possibly the team's poorest display in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for dropping two of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued.

From the time statistics was first taken on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the six dropped catches marked Australia’s worst fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” Healy said.

It helped the opposition to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever total in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Spot

Healy was pleased to discover that the victory, which puts her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The experienced skipper sped to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from her partner later in the innings after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean chance off Brown but failed to review when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The recalled Brown bowled the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers thrived, led by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the total was rendered straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face the English team and the Proteas.”