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The Australian skipper has executed outstanding back-to-back centuries to guide her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a merciless 10-wicket trouncing over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter remained not out on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that saw off the Indian team at the same Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their target of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.

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

Ironically, the utmost expertise of the day's chase as the duo added 202 came after possibly the team's weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the captain criticizing herself in especial for dropping a couple of the half-dozen chances that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” she added.

From the time data was first taken on fielding performance statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed catches marked the team's poorest fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

“Maybe 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 the opposition to eke out 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever total in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first half-century ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she took two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to making sure the team's chase wasn’t too challenging.

The Captain Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was delighted to discover that the victory, which puts her unbeaten team at the top of the standings on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, secures them a place in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.

The experienced skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the quickest hundred 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 practically boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her maiden tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-highest partnership by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain spilled the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Frustratingly, she also did take a clear chance off the same bowler but failed to review when the umpire turned down their shout.

The reinstated Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, going for 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Stars

In contrast, the spinners thrived, led by Alana King, whose performance could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t missed one in the slips.

Other spin bowlers Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took the team to their record total against the Aussies, but the total was made to look straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 against the Indian side four days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said star performer King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to take on England and the Proteas.”