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Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding back-to-back hundreds to steer her squad into the semi-finals of the World Cup, driving them to a merciless 10-wicket trouncing over their opponents.

Healy remained not out on 113, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142 that defeated the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to chase to their goal of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a below par with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo added 202 runs came after perhaps Australia’s shoddiest display in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for dropping two of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily got the job done,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially taken on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented the team's poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” the captain commented.

This allowed Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with a key batter scoring the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken 10-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was vital to making sure Australia’s target remained manageable.

Healy Pleased with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Spot

Healy was delighted to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The 35-year-old skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from her partner later in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

The young batter Litchfield hit 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy reached hers off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their shout.

The reinstated Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Leads

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

Fellow spin bowlers Wareham (two for 22 off seven overs) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their record total against the Aussies, but the target was made to look easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side four days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face England and South Africa.”