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Alyssa Healy has produced brilliant back-to-back hundreds to guide her squad into the last four of the Women's Cricket World Cup, inspiring them to a dominant 10-wicket victory over their opponents.

The wicketkeeper-batter finished unbeaten on 113, arriving just a few days after her equally impressive 142-run knock that saw off hosts India at the identical Vizag stadium. This time, she shared an unbroken double-century first-wicket stand with Phoebe Litchfield (84 not out) to dash to their target of 199 in just 24.5 deliveries.

“I felt I was a not at my best behind the stumps, and perhaps a little bit as captain as well today, but we’ll take the win and move on,” Healy remarked.

Interestingly, the supreme expertise of Thursday’s chase as the pair put on 202 runs came after possibly the team's weakest performance in the fielding department under the captain's stewardship, with the skipper criticizing herself in particular for dropping two of the six catches that were missed.

“I felt somewhat let down with my glovework, and I had a little bit to make up for with the bat, and luckily succeeded,” Healy continued.

Since statistics was initially recorded on fielding performance metrics in the year 2013, the half-dozen dropped catches marked the team's worst fielding showing at a Women’s World Cup.

“Perhaps it’s just that time of the tournament – we’ve been here a little while, and it’s an issue we’ll review,” Healy commented.

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

But the spinner's spellbinding unbroken 10-over bowling performance, in which she claimed two wickets for 18 runs with four maiden overs, was crucial to making sure the team's target remained manageable.

The Captain Delighted with Win that Seals Knockout Place

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

The experienced captain raced to her hundred off just 73 balls, the fastest hundred of the World Cup, and ended with 20 boundaries off the 77 deliveries she faced as she accelerated from her partner in the latter stages in the innings after they had gone practically boundary-for-boundary towards their fifties.

Litchfield Shines with First Tournament Half-Century

The young batter Litchfield struck 12 boundaries and a six, reaching to her first World Cup fifty off 46 balls shortly after Healy got there off 43. They went on to achieve the third-best stand by any Australian duo at a Women’s World Cup.

In the first innings, during the sluggish fielding display, the captain dropped the easiest of edges off Darcie Brown and also was unable to grasp a difficult skied one off another bowler. Annoyingly, she also did take a clear catch off Brown but didn’t have it reviewed when the official rejected their appeal.

The recalled Brown sent down the fastest balls at the tournament so far but was nonetheless the team's most expensive bowling option, going for 0-52 off her nine overs.

Spinners Excel as Alana King Stars

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

Other spinners Wareham (2-22 off seven overs) and Gardner (2-48 off nine overs) both chipped in, while Sutherland strengthened her position as the competition's top wicket-taker with her 2-41, bringing her tally to thirteen.

Rubya Haider’s 44 and another's not out 66 runs off 80 balls took the team to their record total against the Australians, but the target was made to look easy meat by a team who had successfully pursued 330 runs against the Indian side a few days earlier.

“It's great when you’ve got the ‘Q’ beside your name in a global tournament,” said star performer Alana King. “Certainly it doesn’t stop here. We look forward to returning to Indore to take on the English team and the Proteas.”