Australia Breaks New Ground as Healy Has One Peak Left to Climb.
It's a challenge for Australia to break new ground.
The greatest achievements have long been mastered.
This is the team that has won seven Cricket World Cups, plus another six T20 titles, and earlier maintained over three years unbeaten in 50-over cricket.
The alternative records, those for the achievement hunters, are all that remain for a team that has won it all.
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The fact it required up to Sunday's victory by three wickets over India for them to complete their first ODI chase above 300, reclaiming their record for the highest in the women's 50-over format, is, frankly, a testament to the pitchers that have sported the yellow jersey over the past 50 years.
It is hard for their batsmen to hold a record if never given the opportunity.
Finally, the result of Australia conceding 330 was captain Alyssa Healy getting a chance to produce her latest masterpiece.
Initially recognized as the young family member of celebrated previous Aussie wicketkeeper Ian, she made her debut in 2010 after her country failed to win either of the T20 or ODI World Cups conducted earlier and has witnessed all through 15 successful years since.
A T20 championship victory happened three months after her bow 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 momentarily interrupted the winning streak.
That loss "pushed us to rethink our standards," Healy said this week.
At the subsequent ODI World Cup in New Zealand, Healy hit 170 against England in the title decider and was named player of the tournament. She made sure her country would not come up short.
If this latest epic knock topped that previous effort is debatable.
Certain people claim the reasoning behind the pressure of a final. Some might respond with the challenge that comes when pursuing an unprecedented total and a loud pro-India audience of 20,000.
What's definite is this ton was much more difficult to anticipate.
The Christchurch carnage in 2022 happened while she led the batting statistics, but this innings came after six matches in India over the past few weeks in which she had not exceeded 30 runs.
"If you've observed me in practice sessions, it was a frustrating experience because it seemed my form was missing at all," said Healy.
"However when you enter the playing area, your competitive instincts take over and you simply focus on the competition."
Healy's competitiveness has always been her great strength - and an irreplaceable characteristic in replacing iconic ex-skipper Meg Lanning.
She was tormented by India's emerging talent Kranti Gaud in recent ODI series, out to the 22-year-old seamer in every game, but here that only provided Healy's inspiration.
A single was taken off the opening delivery and from there the right-hander was on her way.
"The possibility to go out there and engage in competition with her and merely enjoy the moment that way, sort of got me going," commented Healy.
She got to fifty in 35 pitches - her quickest at the World Cup - and her ton in 84 deliveries while she flogged anything short, striking 21 boundaries and three sixes.
Once she was removed the team required another 66 at one run per ball - a manageable total now needing a comfortable finish.
"To chase 330 is uncharted waters so I'm happy we have the belief to accomplish that now," added Healy.
"Ideally we won't need to do it again but, if we do, we know we can succeed."
Those words will be the ultimate thing Australia's opponents at this tournament need to hear.
Over the past five days a belief they will triumph from any situation has grown stronger - this victory coming after victory over Pakistan by 107 run margin despite being 76-7 at one point.
Next Australia play Bangladesh before a match against longtime competitors 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 an unexpected loss by South Africa - an encounter Healy missed because of damaged tissue in her foot as she guided Australia for the inaugural occasion at a significant event.
So strong is her resolve, she later said she regretted not playing with the discomfort.
But while she later admitted those fitness problems have postponed thoughts of retirement, this World Cup is anticipated as her concluding event as leader in one-day cricket and she is yet to win a world championship as leader.
Success in India would bring her to the top of her last major obstacle.