Five-year journey concludes with the ultimate success

Australia saved the best for last.

For 1718 days since their abrupt 2017 World Cup semi-final exit, Meg Lanning and her team had their sights set on one day. One game.

They were forced to wait an extra 13 months for this World Cup final after COVID-19 pushed back a tournament that should have concluded in March 2021.

But when April 3, 2022 finally arrived, it was greeted with a batting display of sheer dominance, one that brought to mind Australia's efforts against India at the MCG in the T20 format on March 8, 2020.

When Australia sat down and reassessed their values following the 2017 failure, they vowed to be fearless. A more recent update now sees the words Fearless, Team First and Evolve adorn the walls of Australia's dressing rooms wherever they travel, and Sunday's display with the bat was the textbook execution.

Alyssa Healy's World Cup record 170 paved the way for Australia's third highest ODI total of 5-356; but for this effort to have come in a World Cup final, and against England, surely outclasses the two higher outputs against Denmark and Pakistan.

"We've said how we wanted to play and how we want to operate as a team, and the thing that stands out for me and I'm really proud of is that we actually go out there and do it," Lanning said after Australia sealed a 71-run win.

"Motty (coach Matthew Mott) said in his message earlier today to the group to be brave and go out there and get the game (because) the game's not going to come to us, it owes us nothing, we have to go out there and play and win it.

"In the 2020 World Cup we played our best game on the biggest stage and I think today we've done a very similar thing, and that's a really, really impressive thing from our team, to not get scared or fear the big stage and big moments, we want to be part of it and that's what drives us."

For Healy, Sunday's triumph was the icing on the cake of all Australia has achieved since that fateful day in Derby in 2017.

Since, they have been undefeated in all 22 series across formats, including a world record 26-run ODI winning streak. They have won two T20 World Cup titles and lost a mere handful of one-off matches.

"I think it's just right," Healy said of raising the trophy.

"I'm so proud of this group … we came together as a squad and said, 'this is how we want to play our cricket from now on and we're going to be the best team in the world'.

"For all 15 people in our squad and the girls outside the squad to be able to buy into that has been unbelievable, and I think that's a culture created by (Meg Lanning), Rach (Haynes) and Motty (Matthew Mott).

"I'm just really proud of this group to have done what we've done over the last five years, and I think the trophy in our hands is just the final little piece of the puzzle that needed to happen."

Now comes England's turn at the uncomfortable process of reflection and figuring out what is next for their team.

Their efforts in recovering from a winless Ashes campaign and a 0-3 start to the World Cup to win five games in a row and make the final were admirable, and they finished the tournament a deserving second place.

But bar Natalie Sciver's unbeaten century, no England player was able to match it with their rivals for any significant period on Sunday, and while their 285 all out would have been enough to win any previous World Cup final, Australia have once again levelled up.

Knight said the immediate aftermath of the final was too soon for those discussions, but England will need to work out how to bridge the gap with Australia, who have now won the last three World Cups across both limited-overs formats, and held the Ashes since 2015.

Australia's transformed style of play and approach to their limited-overs cricket is one factor in their recent success, but it was not the only one.

Their investment in the domestic system, where semi-professional contracts were introduced for all state players from 2017, has also been instrumental in developing depth (alongside seven seasons of the WBBL).

It meant that when Australia lost three key bowlers for this tournament – Georgia Wareham, Tayla Vlaeminck and Sophie Molineux – they still had the talent to call upon to go through undefeated, including Alana King, uncapped until January, who became a core member of the World Cup winning team.

England revamped their own domestic system in 2020 and brought in 41 contracts across eight regional teams, which increased to 51 in 2021.

"I think that the stronger we can have that domestic setup back home, the more it's going to help the team," Knight said.

"There's been the domestic contracts, The Hundred, et cetera.

"I think you're starting to see younger players coming through – someone like Charlie Dean who was nowhere near the international scene before The Hundred and she's broken in and done very well and is an exciting player for the future.

"I think that's a real positive ... it's going to create hopefully a generation of cricketers that are so used to playing on the big stage and under pressure.

"It might take a little bit of time, Australia obviously started the domestic set-up and the investment in the women's game a little bit earlier than we did.

"But hopefully it will bear fruit in the next couple of years."

Their next shot at a major tournament will come in August at the Commonwealth Games.

After that will follow the next T20 World Cup in South Africa early next year, before they get a crack at Australia on home soil in the 2023 Ashes.

But Lanning sounded an ominous warning to other nations on Sunday; Australia do not plan on letting up any time soon.

"We'll certainly sit back and celebrate this one because I think it all has been leading to this point for a long time," the Australia skipper said.

"(But) there's some really cool tournaments coming up that we're involved in; the Commonwealth Games is something new for us and that will provide us with some really good motivation to go there and play really well.

"We certainly won't let up. We want to keep getting better and we've got some really good young players in our squad as well, who will keep pushing us older players along and make sure that we get better as well.

"We're really nicely placed to keep getting better and that's the great thing about this group, we're hungry for success."

ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2022

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Darcie Brown, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Grace Harris, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Beth Mooney, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Amanda-Jade Wellington. Travelling reserves: Heather Graham, Georgia Redmayne

Australia's World Cup 2022 fixtures

Mar 5: Beat England by 12 runs

Mar 8: Beat Pakistan by seven wickets

Mar 13: Beat New Zealand by 141 runs

Mar 15: Beat West Indies by seven wickets

Mar 19: Beat India by six wickets

Mar 22: Beat South Africa by five wickets

Mar 25: Beat Bangladesh by five wickets

Semi-finals

Mar 30: Australia beat West Indies by 157 runs

Mar 31: England beat South Africa by 137 runs

Final

Apr 3: Australia beat England by 71 runs

All matches to be broadcast in Australia on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports