The Australian Team Breaks New Ground as Captain Alyssa Healy Faces One Final Mountain.
It's tough for Australia to set fresh records.
The top summits have already been conquered.
This is the team that has secured seven Cricket World Cups, along with six more T20 titles, and previously enjoyed 1,294 days unbeaten in 50-over cricket.
The remaining milestones, those for the peak baggers, are the only things left for a team that has won it all.
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That it took as late as Sunday's three-wicket win over India for them to accomplish their maiden ODI chase over 300, taking back their record for the highest in women's cricket's 50-over format, is, frankly, a compliment to the pitchers that have represented Australia over five decades.
It's challenging for their hitters to possess a record if never given the opportunity.
Ultimately, the result of Australia conceding 330 was captain Alyssa Healy being given a platform to deliver her newest gem.
Then best known as the teenage relative of famous ex Aussie wicketkeeper Ian, she made her debut in 2010 after Australia didn't secure either of the 20 or 50-over World Cups from the prior year and has experienced everything through 15 trophy-laden years since.
A T20 championship victory came three months after her debut and seven world titles have resulted from 10 attempts across formats.
The gritty keeper was in attendance in Derby in 2017 when a semi-final setback by India briefly halted the winning streak.
That loss "drove us to reconsider our benchmarks," Healy stated recently.
At the following one-day championship in New Zealand, Healy scored 170 against England in the title decider and was awarded tournament MVP. She ensured her country would not come up short.
If this newest brilliant performance exceeded that prior achievement is debatable.
Certain people claim the argument supporting the pressure of a final. Different voices suggest with the challenge that comes when pursuing an unprecedented total and a loud pro-India audience of 20,000.
What's clear is this hundred was much more difficult to see coming.
The Christchurch carnage in 2022 occurred when she topped the run-scoring charts, but this knock followed six innings in India since the start of last month in which she had been unable to reach 30.
"If you've been watching me in the nets, it's been a frustrating experience because it seemed I've had no rhythm at all," commented Healy.
"Yet the moment you step out on the field, your fighting spirit activate and you simply focus on the contest."
Healy's competitiveness has always been her great strength - and an irreplaceable characteristic in succeeding famous previous leader Meg Lanning.
She was troubled by India's rising star Kranti Gaud in the previous month's ODI series, dismissed by the young fast bowler in every game, but this time it merely gave Healy's inspiration.
A single came off the opening delivery and from that point the right-hander was underway.
"An opportunity to play and face the challenge with her and just have a bit of fun in that aspect, kind of motivated me," stated Healy.
She reached fifty in 35 pitches - her fastest at the global tournament - and her ton in 84 as she flogged anything short, scoring 21 fours and three sixes.
Once she was removed the team needed 66 more at a run-a-ball - an achievable target now needing a comfortable finish.
"To chase 330 is uncharted waters so I'm happy we have the confidence to do that now," continued Healy.
"Ideally we won't need to do it again but, if we do, we know we can succeed."
Those words will be the final thing rival teams at this World Cup need to hear.
During the last week a feeling they will win from any position has become more firm - this victory coming after success over Pakistan by 107 run margin despite sitting at 76-7 at a certain moment.
Next Australia play Bangladesh before an encounter with old rivals England in Indore in 10 days, by which point a semi-final place may well be secure.
It was at that stage they were eliminated from the previous year's T20 World Cup in an unexpected loss by South Africa - a game Healy missed because of ruptured tissue in her foot as she led her country for the first time at a major tournament.
So great is her will, she afterwards commented she wished she had played despite the injury.
But while she subsequently acknowledged those injuries have pushed back thoughts of retirement, this championship is anticipated as her final tournament as skipper in one-day cricket and she is still to achieve an international tournament as leader.
Victory in India would lead her to the peak of her final mountain.