Australia Breaks New Ground as Healy Has One Peak Left to Climb.
It's tough for Australia to achieve unprecedented feats.
The top summits have been successfully scaled.
This is the team that has won seven Cricket World Cups, in addition to an additional six T20 titles, and earlier maintained over three years unbeaten in 50-over cricket.
The secondary achievements, targeted by the record chasers, are what's still available for a team that has accomplished all there is.
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That it took until Sunday's three-wicket win over India for them to complete their first ODI chase above 300, regaining their record for the biggest in women's cricket's 50-over format, is, in truth, a compliment to the pitchers that have sported the yellow jersey over the past 50 years.
It's difficult for their batters to possess a record if never given the chance.
Finally, the consequence of Australia giving up 330 runs was leader Alyssa Healy getting a chance to create her most recent brilliance.
Originally famous as the teenage relative of celebrated previous Aussie wicketkeeper Ian, she first played in 2010 after her nation couldn't capture either of the 20 or 50-over World Cups held the previous year and has seen it all through 15 trophy-laden years since.
A T20 championship victory happened three months after her bow and seven global championships have resulted from 10 attempts across formats.
The gritty keeper was present as well in Derby in 2017 when a semi-final defeat by India temporarily stopped the winning streak.
That loss "drove us to rethink our standards," Healy said this week.
At the next 50-over World Cup in New Zealand, Healy made 170 against England in the final and was declared player of the series. She made sure her country would not fall short again.
Whether this latest epic knock exceeded that prior achievement remains open for discussion.
Some will argue the case for championship match pressure. Different voices suggest with the test that comes when pursuing an unprecedented total and an enthusiastic Indian fanbase of 20,000.
What's definite is this hundred was considerably tougher to predict.
The Christchurch carnage in 2022 happened while she topped the run-scoring charts, but this performance was preceded by six games in India from the beginning of the previous month in which she had been unable to reach 30.
"For those following me in practice sessions, it has been a frustrating experience because it appeared my form was missing at all," said Healy.
"But once you take the field, your competitive instincts activate and you just lock into the contest."
Healy's competitive nature has always been her key asset - and a priceless quality in taking over from famous previous leader Meg Lanning.
She was challenged by India's promising player Kranti Gaud in last month's ODI series, out to the young fast bowler in all three matches, but this time it merely gave Healy's motivation.
A single was taken off Gaud's first delivery and from there the batsman was underway.
"A chance to play and engage in competition with her and just have a bit of fun in that regard, sort of got me going," stated Healy.
She achieved fifty in 35 pitches - her swiftest at a World Cup - and her ton in 84 deliveries while she punished short deliveries, hitting 21 fours and three big hits.
When she was dismissed the team required another 66 at one run per ball - an achievable target now requiring a leisurely stroll.
"Pursuing 330 is unfamiliar ground so I am glad we have the assurance to do that now," added Healy.
"Hopefully we don't have to do it another time but, if we do, we know we can achieve it."
These statements will be the final thing Australia's opponents at this World Cup need to hear.
In recent days a feeling they will triumph from any situation has only strengthened - this triumph following victory over Pakistan by 107 run margin despite being 76-7 at one stage.
Following this Australia face Bangladesh before a meeting with traditional opponents England in Indore in ten days, by which point a semi-final place may well be secure.
During that phase they exited last year's T20 World Cup in a shock defeat by South Africa - an encounter Healy missed because of ruptured tissue in her foot as she led her country for the initial instance at an important competition.
So strong is her resolve, she later said she wished she had played through the pain.
However although she later admitted those injuries have pushed back plans to retire, this tournament is expected to be her concluding event as leader in one-day cricket and she is yet to win an international tournament as captain.
Victory in India would lead her to the peak of her ultimate challenge.
