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The Australian skipper has produced superb consecutive centuries to lead her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a commanding comprehensive win over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113, coming just a few days after her similarly brilliant 142 that defeated the Indian team 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 thought I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll accept the win and move on,” she said.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of the day's run-chase as the duo put on 202 followed perhaps Australia’s weakest display in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in particular 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 batting, and luckily got the job done,” she added.

From the time statistics was first taken on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed catches represented Australia’s poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s something we’ll analyze,” Healy commented.

This allowed the opposition to eke out 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But Alana King mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to ensuring the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Place

Healy was delighted to learn that the triumph, which puts her unbeaten side top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The experienced captain raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the tournament, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her first tournament half-century off 46 balls shortly after her partner 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 effort, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to grasp a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also take a clean chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their appeal.

The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's costliest bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Excel as King Stars

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, led by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

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

A batter's 44 runs and another's not out 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the target was rendered easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against India a few days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” remarked star performer 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.”