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The Australian skipper has produced outstanding back-to-back hundreds to steer her squad into the semi-finals of the Women's Cricket World Cup, driving them to a commanding 10-wicket victory over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113 runs, coming just four days after her equally brilliant 142 that saw off hosts India at the same Visakhapatnam venue. This time, she combined in an undefeated 200-run first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their goal of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.

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

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of the day's run-chase as the pair put on 202 followed possibly the team's poorest performance in the field under the captain's leadership, with the skipper scolding herself in particular for spilling two of the six chances that went down.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I needed to compensate with the bat, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.

Since data was first recorded on fielding statistics in 2013, the six missed opportunities represented Australia’s worst fielding display at a World Cup tournament.

“Maybe it’s just that phase of the tournament – we’ve been here a while, and it’s an issue we’ll reflect on,” Healy said.

This allowed the opposition to eke out 9-198 after they had chosen to bat, their highest total in an ODI against the Aussies, with Sobhana Mostary scoring the first fifty ever for the Asian side against the reigning champions.

But the spinner's mesmeric continuous 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maidens, was vital to making sure the team's target wasn’t too challenging.

Healy Pleased with Win that Seals Semi-Final Place

The Australian skipper was pleased to discover that the triumph, which places her undefeated team top of the group table on nine points after four wins and a abandoned match, guarantees them a place in the semi-finals. “That’s really cool,” she exclaimed.

The 35-year-old skipper raced to her century off just 73 deliveries, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and finished with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from Litchfield in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone almost boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

The Opener Shines with Maiden Tournament Fifty

Left-hander Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and one maximum, getting to her maiden World Cup fifty off 46 deliveries shortly after her partner reached hers off 43. They went on to record the third-best partnership by any Aussie duo at a World Cup event.

Earlier, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain spilled the easiest of edges off Darcie Brown and also failed to hold on to a tough lofted one off another bowler. Frustratingly, she also take a clear catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the umpire rejected their appeal.

The reinstated Darcie Brown sent down the fastest deliveries at the World Cup so far but was still the team's most expensive bowler, conceding 52 runs without a wicket off her nine overs.

Spin Attack Thrive as King Leads

Instead, the slow bowlers excelled, spearheaded by King, whose spell could have been even more productive if Beth Mooney hadn’t dropped one in the slip cordon.

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

A batter's 44 runs and another's not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their highest-ever score against the Australians, but the target was made to look straightforward by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side four days earlier.

“It's fantastic when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said player-of-the-match King. “No doubt it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to going back to the next venue to take on the English team and the Proteas.”