During Australian cricket’s imperial phase from about 1999 to 2007, the teams of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting often found themselves in trouble, either through a batting collapse or in the face of a big opposition partnership.

Whatever the situation, Australia’s players fully expected that one of their number would step up with a blinding performance that would redress the balance and carry on the team’s near-unbeaten record during that time.

Alyssa Healy celebrates her century against India.Credit: Getty Images

Perhaps as importantly, the opposition expected it too. Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Ponting, Waugh, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Adam Gilchrist... the threat could come from anywhere.

Before Australia’s dominance, the West Indies relied for years on the likes of Curtly Ambrose, Malcolm Marshall, Viv Richards and Brian Lara to do likewise, maintaining an aura of invincibility that lasted for well over a decade.

So it is with the women’s side led by Alyssa Healy and currently marching towards qualification for the knockout stages of the ODI World Cup in India.

Overnight on Sunday it was Healy who stepped up after a recent run of outs, blasting 142 from 107 balls to make a world record chase of 331 against India in Vizag look something like routine.

Healy’s heroics arrived the game after Beth Mooney and Alana King had pulled the Australians out of a huge hole against Pakistan, turning 8-115 into 9-221, more than enough to secure victory by 107 runs. And in the opener against New Zealand, Ash Gardner’s powerful century had flipped an uncertain 5-128 to an unchaseable 326.

India had, by Healy’s reckoning, been on track for something closer to 380 after batting first on a flat surface. Healy also said........

© The Sydney Morning Herald