Australia Sets a New Benchmark as Captain Alyssa Healy Confronts Her Ultimate Challenge.
It's tough for Australia to achieve unprecedented feats.
The top summits have been successfully scaled.
We're talking about the unit that has secured seven Cricket World Cups, along with an additional six T20 titles, and once went nearly four years undefeated in 50-over cricket.
The secondary achievements, the ones sought by the achievement hunters, are the only things left for a side that has won it all.
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The fact it required as late as Sunday's victory by three wickets over India for them to achieve their initial ODI chase over 300, taking back their record for the largest in the female 50-over format, is, in truth, a tribute to the bowlers that have sported the yellow jersey over the last half-century.
It's challenging for their hitters to maintain a record if not afforded the opportunity.
In the end, the result of Australia giving up 330 runs was captain Alyssa Healy being given an opportunity to create her most recent brilliance.
Initially recognized as the 19-year-old niece of famous ex Aussie wicketkeeper Ian, she made her debut in 2010 after her country couldn't capture either of the 20 or 50-over World Cups from the prior year and has experienced everything through 15 successful years since.
Success in the T20 World Cup happened three months after her debut and seven world titles have resulted from 10 efforts across formats.
The gritty keeper was in attendance in Derby in 2017 when a semi-final defeat by India briefly halted the run of success.
That loss "drove us to reconsider our benchmarks," Healy stated recently.
At the following one-day championship in New Zealand, Healy hit 170 against England in the championship match and was awarded tournament MVP. She guaranteed her country would not fail again.
Whether this newest brilliant performance exceeded that prior achievement can be debated.
Certain people claim the case for the pressure of a final. Others can counter with the test that comes when facing a record target and a raucous India-supporting crowd of 20,000.
What's clear is this hundred was considerably tougher to predict.
The Christchurch destruction in 2022 occurred when she led the batting statistics, but this innings followed six innings in India over the past few weeks in which she had been unable to reach 30.
"If you've observed me in practice sessions, it was a frustrating experience because I feel like my form was missing completely," said Healy.
"But once you take the field, your fighting spirit activate and you simply focus on the competition."
Healy's fighting spirit has consistently been her major advantage - and a priceless quality in taking over from famous previous leader Meg Lanning.
She was tormented by India's rising star Kranti Gaud in the previous month's ODI series, out to the 22-year-old seamer in all three matches, but on this occasion it simply offered Healy's spark.
A single was taken off the bowler's initial ball and from that point the right-hander was in motion.
"The possibility to play and face the challenge with her and just have a bit of fun in that regard, sort of got me going," said Healy.
She achieved fifty in 35 pitches - her swiftest at a World Cup - and her ton in 84 balls as she punished short deliveries, striking 21 boundaries and three maximums.
By the time she was dismissed her side needed 66 additional runs at run per delivery - an unconquered height now needing a comfortable finish.
"To chase 330 is new territory so I'm happy we have the confidence to achieve that now," stated Healy further.
"Hopefully we don't have to repeat it but, if necessary, we are confident we can achieve it."
Those words will be the final thing rival teams at this tournament should hear.
In recent days a feeling they will win from any position has only strengthened - this triumph succeeding success over Pakistan by 107 run margin despite being 76-7 at one point.
Following this Australia face Bangladesh before a meeting with old rivals England in Indore in ten days, by which point a semi-final place may well be secure.
It was in the semi-finals they left last year's T20 World Cup in a surprising setback by South Africa - an encounter Healy was absent due to torn tissue in her foot as she led her country for the first time at an important competition.
Such is her determination, she subsequently stated she regretted not playing despite the injury.
Yet even as she afterwards confessed those physical issues have delayed consideration of ending her career, this tournament is anticipated as her concluding event as leader in 50-over cricket and she is still to achieve a world championship as skipper.
Success in India would lead her to the peak of her ultimate challenge.