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AAP
AAP
Sport
Ben McKay

Australia ready to bury World Cup demons

Alyssa Healy will be a key player in Australia's quest to reclaim the Women's World Cup. (AAP)

The first rule of Australia's Women's Cricket World Cup campaign is not to talk about the last one.

The second rule of Australia's Women's Cricket World Cup campaign is not to talk about the last one.

Meg Lanning's side have endured a five-year wait to avenge the biggest disappointment of their careers, and get the chance to do it this month in New Zealand.

It is clear the last World Cup - won by hosts England in an upset triumph - has left scars.

"To be honest, we don't really talk about 2017 anymore," Lanning said this week in Christchurch.

"It obviously had a big impact on us but now it's a completely different group and we're on a new journey together."

Alyssa Healy, who, like Lanning felt the pain of 2017's semi-final exit, is also not one for reminiscing.

"You can ask me about 2017 all you want. But I've wiped it from my brain," she tells AAP, only half-joking.

Australia headed to England in 2017 as world No.1s and hot favourites, as they do this year.

Alarm bells rang after Australia fell three runs short to the hosts in a group stage chase, giving England their first World Cup win over their arch-rivals in 24 years.

Finishing second after the round-robin, Australia was then dumped out of the tournament by India in the semi-finals, when Harmanpreet Kaur's unbeaten 171 left the Aussie attack floundering.

Lanning was bowled for a duck and Healy made five as Australia fell 36 runs shy.

"It was a disappointing time for us. There's no shying away from that," Healy said.

"That England game summed up where our group was at at the time and I don't think I'm speaking out of school to say that.

"It was a comfortable run chase we made hard for ourselves. We played comfortable cricket. We didn't push the letter. We were sort of in this comfortable mindset."

The tournament failure brought serious introspection.

"We sat down and we watched that semi-final ... a brutal old-school team bonding session," Healy said.

"It was uncomfortable and uncomfortable for the bowlers in particular. It was painful."

Asked about that review, Lanning said only that it "had a really big impact on how we have played since and how we have operated off the field as well".

It's hard to argue with that.

In the five years since, Australia have won 29 of their last 30 ODIs - including a world record 26-match unbeaten streak - while keeping a tight grip on the Ashes, including a flawless home series last month.

"We've had unbelievable success since that moment and probably it was the turning point for us and maybe the lesson that we needed," Healy said.

In New Zealand, Australia can call on a strong core of experience to mount their World Cup campaign.

Ellyse Perry will play at her fourth World Cup, while Lanning, opener Rachel Haynes and pace bowler Megan Schutt play at their third.

Healy travelled to the 2013 tournament but didn't play, making the 2022 tournament her second, along with Ashleigh Gardner, Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney and Amanda-Jade Wellington.

Gardner, Australia's reigning player of the year, faces a delayed start after catching COVID-19 and will meet up with her teammates after the first two matches.

Six are in line for their World Cup debuts: speedster Darcie Brown, allrounder Nicola Carey, top-order bat Grace Harris, legspin bolter Alana King, player of the Ashes Tahlia McGrath and in-form allrounder Annabel Sutherland.

Perhaps helpfully, they face England first-up in Hamilton on Saturday as they look to bury a demon of their past.

As the revenge mission nears, Healy said the evolved Australian team was ready.

"We know if we show up and play good cricket, it's enough," she said.

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