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Alyssa Healy has executed outstanding back-to-back centuries to steer her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless comprehensive win over their opponents.

Healy finished not out on 113, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after perhaps Australia’s weakest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for spilling a couple of the six chances that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and fortunately succeeded,” Healy continued.

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

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

It helped Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was vital to making sure the team's target remained manageable.

Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Knockout Place

Healy was thrilled to discover that the victory, which places her undefeated team at the 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 really cool,” she said.

The experienced skipper raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the quickest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.

The Opener Impresses with First Tournament Fifty

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 balls soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest stand by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.

The reinstated Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spinners Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland consolidated her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her 2-41, taking her tally to 13.

A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the total was made to look straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side four days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to Indore to take on England and the Proteas.”