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The Australian skipper has delivered superb back-to-back centuries to lead her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a merciless 10-wicket win over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the duo put on 202 followed perhaps Australia’s poorest display in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the six catches that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily delivered,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed catches marked Australia’s poorest fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” Healy said.

It helped Bangladesh to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding continuous 10-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was key to making sure the team's target remained manageable.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Seals Knockout Place

Healy was thrilled to learn that the victory, which places her undefeated team at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries 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 fifties.

Litchfield Shines with Maiden World Cup Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, reaching to her first tournament half-century off 46 deliveries soon after her partner got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-highest partnership by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clean chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their shout.

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

Spin Attack Thrive as King Leads

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

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a team who had chased down 330 against India a few days before.

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