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The Australian skipper has delivered superb consecutive hundreds to lead her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a merciless comprehensive trouncing over Bangladesh.

Healy finished unbeaten on 113, arriving just a few days after her equally impressive 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their goal of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I thought I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and probably a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” she said.

Ironically, the utmost professionalism of the day's chase as the duo added 202 followed perhaps the team's weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for spilling two of the six catches that went down.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the batting, and luckily succeeded,” she added.

From the time statistics was first recorded on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the six dropped opportunities represented the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

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

It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary compiling the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

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

The Captain Pleased with Victory that Seals Knockout Place

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

The 35-year-old captain raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.

The Opener Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her first tournament half-century off 46 deliveries soon after her partner reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest stand by any Australian pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of chances off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear catch off Brown but failed to review when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The recalled Brown sent down the quickest balls at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Leads

Instead, the spinners excelled, led by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

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

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their record score against the Australians, but the target was made to look straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 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 star performer Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to Indore to face the English team and South Africa.”