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The Australian skipper has delivered outstanding consecutive centuries to lead her squad into the semi-finals of the World Cup, driving them to a dominant comprehensive victory over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her equally stellar 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Vizag stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and probably a bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the utmost expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair added 202 came after possibly Australia’s poorest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the captain scolding herself in particular for spilling two of the six catches that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and fortunately delivered,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was initially taken on fielding metrics in 2013, the six dropped catches marked the team's worst 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 the opposition to eke out 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their highest total in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding continuous ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Victory that Confirms Semi-Final Place

Healy was thrilled to discover that the triumph, which places her undefeated side top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain raced to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from her partner later in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with Maiden Tournament Fifty

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, reaching to her first World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy got there 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 dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clear chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Stars

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

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

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 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 runs against the Indian side four days before.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face the English team and the Proteas.”