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Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant back-to-back hundreds to guide her squad into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding 10-wicket win over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her equally impressive 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to race to their target of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I thought I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and progress,” she said.

Interestingly, the utmost professionalism of the day's chase as the pair added 202 followed perhaps the team's weakest display in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” she added.

Since data was initially taken on fielding statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped opportunities represented the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

It helped the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their highest score in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King mesmeric unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s target remained manageable.

Healy Delighted with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was delighted to learn that the victory, which puts her unbeaten team 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 said.

The 35-year-old skipper raced to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy dropped the easiest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clean catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The reinstated Brown sent down the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, 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 (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the target was made to look straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 against India four days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said star performer King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to face England and South Africa.”