Australia Establishes a Fresh Record as Captain Alyssa Healy Confronts Her Ultimate Challenge.
It's a challenge for Australia to achieve unprecedented feats.
The greatest achievements have been successfully scaled.
We're talking about the unit that has claimed seven Cricket World Cups, plus an additional six T20 titles, and earlier maintained over three years without defeat in 50-over cricket.
The remaining milestones, the ones sought by the record chasers, are the only things left for a team that has achieved everything.
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It needed as late as Sunday's three-wicket win over India for them to achieve their initial ODI chase over 300, reclaiming their record for the highest in women's cricket's 50-over format, is, frankly, a tribute to the bowlers that have sported the yellow jersey over five decades.
It's challenging for their batters to maintain a record if not afforded the opportunity.
Finally, the consequence of Australia allowing 330 runs was leader Alyssa Healy being given an opportunity to produce her latest masterpiece.
Originally famous as the 19-year-old niece of renowned former Aussie wicketkeeper Ian, she debuted in 2010 after Australia didn't secure either of the T20 or ODI World Cups from the prior year and has experienced everything through 15 championship-filled years since.
Success in the T20 World Cup came three months after her bow and seven international trophies have resulted from 10 tries across formats.
The tough gloveman was present as well in Derby in 2017 when a semi-final defeat by India temporarily stopped the successful run.
That loss "pushed us to rethink our standards," Healy commented earlier.
At the next 50-over World Cup in New Zealand, Healy scored 170 against England in the final and was awarded tournament MVP. She ensured her country would not come up short.
The question of whether this newest brilliant performance exceeded that prior achievement is debatable.
Certain people claim the case for the pressure of a final. Some might respond with the difficulty that comes when pursuing an unprecedented total and a loud pro-India audience of 20,000.
What's definite is this century was far harder to see coming.
The New Zealand onslaught in 2022 happened while she topped the run-scoring charts, but this knock followed six innings in India from the beginning of the previous month in which she had failed to pass 30.
"If you've observed me in practice sessions, it's been a frustrating experience because it seemed my form was missing completely," stated Healy.
"Yet the moment you take the field, your competitive nature activate and you completely engage with the match."
Healy's fighting spirit has consistently been her great strength - and a priceless quality in succeeding famous previous leader Meg Lanning.
She was tormented by India's promising player Kranti Gaud in the previous month's ODI series, dismissed by the young fast bowler in each encounter, but this time it merely gave Healy's spark.
A single was taken off Gaud's first delivery and after that the right-hander was underway.
"An opportunity to take the field and lock in a contest with her and merely enjoy the moment that way, sort of got me going," stated Healy.
She got to fifty in 35 deliveries - her fastest at the global tournament - and her ton in 84 balls as she punished short deliveries, scoring 21 fours and three sixes.
When she was out the team needed 66 additional runs at run per delivery - an achievable target now requiring a leisurely stroll.
"Pursuing 330 is new territory so I'm pleased we have the assurance to achieve that now," stated Healy further.
"Ideally we won't need to do it another time but, if necessary, we know we can succeed."
That comment will be the last rival teams at this tournament want to hear.
Over the past five days a feeling they will succeed regardless of circumstances has become more firm - this triumph coming after success over Pakistan by 107-run victory despite sitting at 76-7 at one point.
Following this Australia face Bangladesh before a match against longtime competitors England in Indore in 10 days, by which point a semi-final place may probably be guaranteed.
It was in the semi-finals they were eliminated from last year's T20 World Cup in an unexpected loss by South Africa - a game Healy was absent due to ruptured tissue in her foot as she guided Australia for the first time at a significant event.
So strong is her resolve, she afterwards commented she regretted not playing with the discomfort.
But while she afterwards confessed those fitness problems have postponed thoughts of retirement, this World Cup is likely to be her final tournament as skipper in ODI cricket and she is hasn't yet secured a global event as captain.
Success in India would lead her to the peak of her last major obstacle.