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The Australian skipper has delivered brilliant consecutive hundreds to lead her team into the semi-finals of the World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant 10-wicket victory over their opponents.

Healy finished not out on 113, coming just a few days after her equally impressive 142 that defeated hosts India at the identical Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century opening partnership with her opening partner (84 not out) to dash to their goal of 199 runs in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I felt I was a little bit poor with the gloves, and probably a little bit as skipper as well tonight, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the supreme professionalism of Thursday’s chase as the duo put on 202 runs followed perhaps Australia’s weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the captain scolding herself in especial for spilling two 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 fortunately delivered,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was first recorded on fielding performance statistics in 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches marked Australia’s worst fielding showing at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s something we’ll reflect on,” the captain commented.

It helped the opposition to eke out 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an One-Day International against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the maiden fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

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

Healy Pleased with Victory that Confirms Knockout Place

The Australian skipper was pleased to learn that the triumph, which puts her undefeated team top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the last-four. “That's great news,” she exclaimed.

The experienced skipper sped to her hundred off just 73 deliveries, the quickest century of the World Cup, and ended with 20 fours off the 77 balls she confronted as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the knock after they had gone almost shot for shot towards their fifties.

The Opener Shines with Maiden 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 reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Aussie pair at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding effort, Healy dropped the simplest of edges off Darcie Brown and also was unable to hold on to a tough skied one off Annabel Sutherland. Annoyingly, she also did take a clean catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire turned down their appeal.

The recalled Brown bowled the fastest balls at the World Cup so far but was still the Aussies’ most expensive bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Thrive as King Stars

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

Other spinners Georgia Wareham (two for 22 off seven) and Gardner (2-48 off nine) both chipped in, while Annabel Sutherland strengthened her position as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with her two for 41, taking her tally to 13.

A batter's 44 runs and Mostary’s not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their record total against the Australians, but the target was rendered easy meat by a side who had successfully pursued 330 against India a few days earlier.

“It’s always nice when you’ve got the ‘Q’ next to your name in a World Cup,” said star performer Alana King. “Certainly it won't end here. We anticipate returning to the next venue to face the English team and the Proteas.”