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Alyssa Healy has executed brilliant back-to-back hundreds to steer her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless comprehensive victory over their opponents.

Healy finished not out on 113, coming just four days after her similarly impressive 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84no) to dash to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 overs.

“I felt I was a below par with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after perhaps Australia’s poorest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for spilling a couple of the six catches that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and fortunately succeeded,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding statistics in 2013, the half-dozen missed opportunities represented the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” Healy commented.

This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever 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 continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to ensuring Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Spot

Healy was delighted to discover that the victory, which places her undefeated team top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The 35-year-old captain sped to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Shines with First Tournament Fifty

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her first World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, Healy dropped the easiest of edges off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a difficult lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clear catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the official rejected their appeal.

The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, led by King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Aussies, but the total was made to look straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 runs against India a few days earlier.

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