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Alyssa Healy has executed outstanding consecutive centuries to steer her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a dominant comprehensive win over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her similarly stellar 142 that saw off hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 overs.

“I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and probably a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the win and progress,” she said.

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s chase as the duo added 202 followed possibly Australia’s weakest performance in the field under Healy’s stewardship, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for spilling two 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 succeeded,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was initially taken on fielding performance metrics in 2013, the six dropped opportunities represented the team's worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll analyze,” the captain said.

This allowed Bangladesh to eke out 9-198 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest score in an ODI against the Aussies, with a key batter scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was vital to ensuring Australia’s chase wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was delighted to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated side at the top of the group table on nine points after four victories and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The experienced captain raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she confronted as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, Healy spilled the simplest of edges off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a tough skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean chance off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official turned down their shout.

The reinstated Brown bowled the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the team's most expensive bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as King Leads

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

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

Rubya Haider’s 44 and Mostary’s not out 66 off 80 deliveries took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the total was made to look straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match Alana King. “No doubt it won't end here. We anticipate returning to Indore to take on the English team and the Proteas.”