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The Australian skipper has delivered brilliant consecutive hundreds to steer her squad into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a dominant comprehensive trouncing over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that defeated hosts India at the same Vizag venue. This time, she combined in an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a below par behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and progress,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s run-chase as the duo added 202 runs followed possibly Australia’s poorest performance in the fielding department under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the six catches that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately succeeded,” Healy continued.

Since data was initially taken on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches represented the team's worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

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

It helped the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against Australia, with a key batter compiling the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maiden overs, was key to making sure Australia’s target remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Seals Knockout Place

Healy was delighted to discover that the triumph, which places her unbeaten side at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The experienced skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred of the tournament, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield later in the innings after they had gone practically shot for shot towards their fifties.

The Opener Shines with Maiden World Cup Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 fours and a six, getting to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy dropped the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean chance off Brown but failed to review when the umpire rejected their shout.

The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Leads

In contrast, the spinners excelled, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

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

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the total was made to look easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side a few days before.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” remarked player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to face England and South Africa.”