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The Australian skipper has delivered brilliant consecutive centuries to guide her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, motivating them to a merciless 10-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113, coming just a few days after her similarly impressive 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Vizag venue. This time, she shared an undefeated double-century first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84no) to race to their goal 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 skipper as well today, but we’ll accept the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of the day's run-chase as the pair put on 202 came after possibly the team's poorest performance in the field under Healy’s leadership, with the captain scolding herself in particular for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that went down.

“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.

Since data was first taken on fielding metrics in 2013, the six missed opportunities marked Australia’s worst fielding display at a Women’s World Cup.

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

It helped the opposition to manage 9-198 after they had opted to bat first, their best-ever total in an ODI against Australia, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken 10-over spell, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was crucial to ensuring the team's chase remained manageable.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Confirms Knockout Place

Healy was thrilled to discover that the victory, which places her unbeaten team top of the standings on nine points after four victories and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the semi-finals. “That's fantastic,” she said.

The experienced skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 deliveries she confronted as she pulled away from her partner in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their half-centuries.

Litchfield Impresses with First Tournament Half-Century

Left-hander Litchfield hit 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her first tournament half-century off 46 balls soon after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to record the third-best stand by any Australian duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the simplest of chances off a teammate and also failed to hold on to a tough lofted one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear catch off the same bowler but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The recalled Darcie Brown bowled the quickest deliveries at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the Aussies’ costliest bowling option, conceding 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Leads

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

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

A batter's 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 deliveries took the team to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the total was rendered easy meat by a side who had chased down 330 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 star performer King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We anticipate going back to the next venue to take on the English team and the Proteas.”