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The Australian skipper has produced brilliant back-to-back centuries to lead her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, motivating them to a commanding 10-wicket win over their opponents.

Healy remained unbeaten on 113 runs, arriving just four days after her similarly impressive 142-run knock that defeated the Indian team at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken 200-run first-wicket stand with her opening partner (84 not out) to race to their goal of 199 in just under 25 deliveries.

“I felt I was a below par behind the stumps, and probably a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll accept the two points and progress,” Healy remarked.

Ironically, the utmost professionalism of the day's run-chase as the duo added 202 followed possibly Australia’s poorest performance in the field under the captain's stewardship, with the captain criticizing herself in especial for dropping a couple of the half-dozen catches that were missed.

“I was a little bit disappointed with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily got the job done,” Healy continued.

From the time data was initially recorded on fielding statistics in the year 2013, the half-dozen missed catches marked the team's poorest 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 review,” Healy said.

This allowed the opposition to manage 198 for 9 after they had opted to bat, their best-ever total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden half-century ever for the Bangladeshi team against the reigning champions.

But Alana King spellbinding unbroken ten-over spell, in which she claimed 2-18 with four maidens, was vital to ensuring Australia’s chase remained manageable.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

Healy was pleased to discover that the triumph, which places her unbeaten side top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, secures them a berth in the last-four. “That’s really cool,” she said.

The 35-year-old skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the fastest century of the World Cup, and finished with 20 fours off the 77 balls she faced as she pulled away from Litchfield later in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with Maiden Tournament Half-Century

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 fours and one maximum, reaching to her maiden World Cup half-century off 46 deliveries shortly after Healy reached hers off 43 balls. They went on to achieve the third-highest stand by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding effort, the captain dropped the easiest of chances off Darcie Brown and also failed to grasp a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also take a clear catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their shout.

The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the tournament so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as Alana King Leads

In contrast, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by Alana King, whose performance could have been more successful if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slips.

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

A batter's 44 and another's unbeaten 66 off 80 balls took Bangladesh to their highest-ever score against the Aussies, but the total was rendered straightforward by a team who had chased down 330 runs against India four days before.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a World Cup,” said player-of-the-match King. “Certainly it won't end here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to take on England and the Proteas.”