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Alyssa Healy has delivered superb back-to-back hundreds to steer her squad into the last four of the World Cup, driving them to a merciless 10-wicket trouncing over Bangladesh.

Healy finished unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just a few days after her equally brilliant 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the identical Visakhapatnam stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run opening partnership with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to chase to their goal of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a not at my best with the gloves, and perhaps a bit as captain as well tonight, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” she said.

Ironically, the utmost expertise of the day's chase as the pair added 202 came after possibly the team's weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in especial for spilling two of the six chances that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my wicketkeeping, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and fortunately delivered,” she added.

Since data was first taken on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the six dropped opportunities represented the team's poorest fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Perhaps it’s just that phase of the competition – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” the captain commented.

This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had chosen to bat first, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with a key batter compiling the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the world champions.

But Alana King mesmeric unbroken ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maiden overs, was key to ensuring Australia’s target remained manageable.

The Captain Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place

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

The experienced captain sped to her century off just 73 balls, the fastest century of the tournament, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

The Opener Shines with First World Cup Fifty

The young batter Phoebe Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, reaching to her maiden tournament fifty off 46 deliveries soon after Healy got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best partnership by any Aussie duo at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the subpar fielding effort, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off a teammate and also failed to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also did take a clean chance off Brown but failed to review when the official turned down their appeal.

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

Spin Attack Excel as Alana King Stars

Instead, the spinners thrived, led by King, whose performance could have been even more productive if a fielder hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

Fellow spinners Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Ash Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both contributed, while Annabel Sutherland consolidated her standing as the competition's leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, bringing her total to thirteen.

A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s unbeaten 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their record total against the Aussies, but the total was made to look straightforward by a side who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It’s always nice 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 anticipate going back to the next venue to take on the English team and South Africa.”