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Alyssa Healy has produced outstanding consecutive hundreds to steer her squad into the last four of the World Cup, motivating them to a dominant 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

Healy finished unbeaten on 113, coming just a few days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to chase to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of the day's chase as the duo added 202 came after perhaps the team's weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for spilling two of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

“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 data was first recorded on fielding performance metrics in 2013, the six dropped opportunities marked the team'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 something we’ll analyze,” the captain said.

It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their highest total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken 10-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring the team's target wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Delighted with Victory that Confirms Knockout Spot

The Australian skipper was delighted to learn that the triumph, which places her unbeaten side top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a place in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The experienced skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.

Litchfield Impresses with First Tournament Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, reaching to her first World Cup fifty off 46 balls soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a difficult lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The recalled Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Stars

In contrast, the spinners thrived, led by Alana King, whose spell could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s leading 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 score against the Aussies, but the total was made to look straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 against India four days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said star performer Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to take on England and South Africa.”