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Alyssa Healy has delivered superb back-to-back hundreds to lead her team into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless comprehensive victory over Bangladesh.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished not out on 113, 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 unbroken 200-run opening partnership with her opening partner (84no) to chase to their target of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a not at my best with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as skipper as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” she said.

Ironically, the supreme expertise of the day's chase as the pair put on 202 followed possibly Australia’s poorest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the batting, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued.

From the time statistics was first taken on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the six missed 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 an issue we’ll review,” the captain said.

This allowed the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their highest score in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Bangladeshi team against the world champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding continuous 10-over spell, in which she took 2-18 with four maidens, was key to ensuring the team's chase remained manageable.

The Captain Delighted with Victory that Seals Semi-Final Place

Healy was delighted to discover that the victory, which puts her undefeated side at the top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a wash-out, guarantees them a berth in the last-four. “That's great news,” she said.

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

The Opener Shines with First World Cup Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, getting to her first tournament half-century off 46 balls shortly after her partner got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-highest stand by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain dropped the easiest of edges off a teammate and also was unable to hold on to a difficult skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clear chance off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their shout.

The recalled Darcie Brown sent down the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ most expensive bowler, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Stars

In contrast, the spinners thrived, led by King, whose spell could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (2-22 off seven) and Gardner (two for 48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her standing as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her total to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 runs and another's unbeaten 66 runs off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the total was rendered straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” remarked star performer Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to Indore to take on England and the Proteas.”