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No limit in sight as Healy elevates game to new heights

Australia's in-form batter-keeper Alyssa Healy blasts first ODI ton on home soil to underline her dominance as team seals record-breaking victory

After the heights scaled by Alyssa Healy in the past 18 months, there's simply no telling just how far the Australian keeper-batter can take her game.

Healy's third ODI hundred against Sri Lanka to clinch an historic 18th straight win for her side was the icing on the cake after yet another remarkable series.

The opener posted a cracking 112no from just 76 balls, her second century against Sri Lanka after she pummelled 148, the highest ever score in women's T20Is, little more than a week ago at North Sydney Oval.

Healy hammers world record T20I score

Stepping out to Allan Border Field in pursuit of Sri Lanka's 195, as well as world-record, it took precisely two overs for Healy to know she was 'on'.

"Today it was a real focus of mine to just come out and play the ball straight down the ground," Healy said after being named Player of the Series.

"When one came off in the second over, it was a bit of a monkey off my back and I was ready to go"

18 games. 18 months. 18 wins. This Australian ODI team really is something special #AUSvSL pic.twitter.com/MMEVUB6IRq

Healy was in the sort of form that makes it impossible to set a field for.

Alternating her punishing drives down the ground, with deft touches to split the fielders on either side of her – it was Healy at her devastating best.

The air of confidence with which Healy was striking belied the fact it was just her third ODI century – let alone her first on home soil.

Aussie thrash Sri Lanka to secure world record

As was the case when Healy smashed the world-record in Sydney – it was Australia skipper Meg Lanning at the other end to guide Healy through it.

13-time ODI centurion Lanning joined Healy at the crease on 95, promptly rocketing three boundaries on the bounce.

"I felt like she was trying to take it off me there at one stage," Healy laughed alongside Lanning after winning the third and final ODI on Wednesday.

"Nah, that was never happening. It's nice to have Meg at the other end.

"She's such a great player and has been there numerous times before so for someone who hasn't done it a lot, it's nice to have someone experienced at the other end to just tell me to keep going."

Healy, Lanning celebrate Australia's record-breaking win

Prior to March 2018 – when the Australians began their record-breaking run – Healy had passed fifty on just four occasions from 44 one-day innings for Australia.

In the 18 innings since, she's reached the fifty milestone nine times, going on to make hundreds on three occasions.

With 669 runs from 12 innings, Healy is the 2019 leading run-scorer in women's ODIs.

She's also sitting pretty in third on the T20I leader board, with 372 runs from nine innings. Ahead of her are Nareumol Chaiwai and Nattakan Chantam, both from Thailand, who have played 25 and 24 innings respectively.

Don't mess with Healy's rocket arm

So is there any end in sight for Healy's purple zone?

"Hope not," Healy said.

"Hopefully I can just keep this going until I hang up the boots, I'm really enjoying my cricket at the moment.

"I'm really excited for WBBL, everyone in the group downstairs really enjoys going into their new environments"

"This one will be a lot of fun, hopefully can keep It going for the Sydney Sixers, if not Ash Gardner would love a hit."

Healy will don the magenta, alongside Sixers teammates Gardner and Ellyse Perry, to kick off the Rebel WBBL season against the Sydney Thunder under lights at North Sydney Oval on Friday October 18.