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The Australian skipper has produced outstanding consecutive centuries to guide her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, motivating them to a commanding 10-wicket win over their opponents.

Healy finished unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her equally impressive 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 in just 24.5 overs.

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

Ironically, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair added 202 runs came after possibly Australia’s shoddiest display in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping two of the six chances that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily delivered,” she added.

Since statistics was first recorded on fielding metrics in the year 2013, the six dropped opportunities marked the team's worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

This allowed the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the first half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken 10-over spell, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring the team's target remained manageable.

Healy Pleased with Win that Confirms Knockout Place

Healy was delighted to learn that the triumph, which places her undefeated team at the top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The experienced captain sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her first tournament fifty off 46 deliveries soon after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy dropped the easiest of chances off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the official rejected their shout.

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

Spin Attack Thrive as Alana King Stars

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

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

Rubya Haider’s 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their record score against the Australians, but the target was made to look straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side four days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a global tournament,” said star performer King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to Indore to face England and the Proteas.”