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Alyssa Healy has delivered brilliant back-to-back centuries to steer her team into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just a few days after her equally stellar 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their goal of 199 runs in just under 25 overs.

“I thought I was a below par with the gloves, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's run-chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after possibly the team's shoddiest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the captain criticizing herself in especial 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 got the job done,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the six missed opportunities represented Australia’s worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps 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 Bangladesh to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous ten-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was vital to making sure Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Confirms Semi-Final Place

Healy was pleased to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.

The experienced skipper sped to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the tournament, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Shines with First World Cup Half-Century

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 fours and a six, getting to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Aussie pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding display, Healy spilled the simplest of chances off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a tough skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear catch off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The recalled Brown sent down the quickest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowler, 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 more successful if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s top wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to 13.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their record total against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side a few days before.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” remarked player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to take on the English team and the Proteas.”