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The Australian skipper has produced outstanding consecutive centuries to steer her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a merciless comprehensive trouncing over their opponents.

Healy remained not out on 113, coming just a few days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an undefeated 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 overs.

“I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s run-chase as the pair put on 202 followed perhaps the team's poorest display in the fielding department under Healy’s leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the six catches that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and fortunately succeeded,” she added.

From the time statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the six dropped opportunities marked the team's poorest fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” Healy commented.

This allowed Bangladesh to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their highest score in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken 10-over bowling performance, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring Australia’s target wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was thrilled to discover that the triumph, which puts her undefeated team top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she exclaimed.

The experienced skipper raced to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy got there off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Australian pair at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy spilled the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their shout.

The reinstated Darcie Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as King Stars

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

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

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their record score against the Australians, but the target was rendered straightforward by a side who had chased down 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said star performer King. “No doubt it won't end here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to take on the English team and the Proteas.”