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The Australian skipper has produced brilliant back-to-back centuries to guide her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket trouncing over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just four days after her similarly impressive 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I felt I was a little bit poor behind the stumps, and perhaps a bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 came after perhaps the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for dropping two of the six catches that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily delivered,” Healy continued.

Since data was first recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented the team's worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” the captain said.

It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken 10-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was crucial to making sure the team's target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Win that Seals Knockout Spot

Healy was thrilled to learn that the triumph, which places her undefeated side top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with Maiden Tournament Fifty

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her first World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries soon after Healy got there off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their appeal.

The recalled Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as King Leads

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

Other spin bowlers Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever total against the Aussies, but the total was made to look easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against India four days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to take on the English team and the Proteas.”