The last 50-over women's World Cup was almost five years ago but feels like yesterday for the Australians who played in it.
"That 2017 World Cup was a heartbreak for everyone," former Australian leg-spinner Kristen Beams said.
Head coach Matthew Mott was at the helm in 2017 and wants his team to focus on what's in front of it during the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand.
"We've got to stop referring back to 2017, I think there's a lot of good that has come of that, we've reflected a bit as a group and there's a whole host of players that weren't even around then," Mott said on Fox Cricket's podcast The Follow-On.
"It set us on a strong course, we've been really consistent since that tournament but this is just another opportunity for the team to take it to another level.
"I've got no doubt that it's been a burning desire since 2017 for this team to really improve and put itself up there a little more often.
"We've used it a lot but I don't think we need to use it for this tournament."
Bittersweet for Beams
Now a regular member of ABC Sport's cricket commentary team, Beams was Australia's leading wicket taker at the 2017 World Cup, with 12 scalps.
She said that feat did not make up for the bitter disappointment of being knocked out by India in the semi-finals.
"It doesn't really matter how you perform individually, that was a really tough tournament for so many reasons," Beams said.
"To miss out on a final at Lord's and to see the crowd.
"For me personally, I knew I was only going to get one shot at winning a 50-over World Cup so it was pretty devastating.
"I believe we were good enough to be in that final but that's the way tournament play goes."
In that semi-final at Derby, Harmanpreet Kaur smashed 171 off 115 balls in one of the great World Cup innings. It became a line in the sand moment for the Australian team in white ball cricket.
One-day wonders
Later in 2017, Australia started a record 26-game winning streak in One Day Internationals that finally ended against India in September last year.
Meg Lanning's team also won two T20 World Cups during that time.
Beams said selectors had picked more adaptable teams since 2017.
"I think the number of all-rounders that we've seen and the number of pace bowlers," Beams said.
"Having so many options within your XI to play both a batting role and a bowling role is really important.
"And we're seeing more pace on the ball than we've ever seen.
"Darcie Brown is a really good pace option and you mix it in with a Megan Schutt and Elysse Perry you've got so many really good options.
Experience counts
The current Australian squad boasts a wealth of World Cup experience.
From the 2017 squad, captain Lanning, vice-captain Rachael Haynes, Ash Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Beth Mooney, Perry, Schutt and Amanda-Jade Wellington are back for another shot at glory. Haynes, Healy, Lanning, and Schutt will be competing in their third ODI World Cup, while it will be a fourth for Perry.
Twenty-six wickets and a batting average of 56.66 show how effective Perry's been in World Cups. Lanning also boasts a World Cup average of more than 50.
"In World Cup tournaments your experienced players are just worth their weight in gold," Beams said.
"What they'll do is not only have good individual performances but just the way that they lead those young group of players."
Newcomers grab their opportunities
The six Australians heading to their first ODI World Cup are Brown, Nicola Carey, Grace Harris, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath and Annabel Sutherland. Teenage tearaway Brown (18), and all-rounders Sutherland (20) and McGrath (26) excelled during the recent multi-format series wins against India and England.
"I love the confidence of the young players who have come into this Australian team because they've come in and played their natural game," Beams said.
"Tahlia McGrath has been an outstanding performer over the past 12 months and she just looks to be getting better and better with each game, which kind of scares me a little bit how good she's going to be."
Squad covers all bases
Australia has won a record six 50-over World Cups and the current squad's ability to cover all scenarios has many tipping a seventh title.
"Depth is really important and it's one of our greatest strengths and we're really fortunate to have that, especially over the last couple of years," Perry told ABC News Breakfast.
Australia's dominance since the last World Cup is reflected in the ICC's ODI rankings.
Lanning's team is first, Healy is the number-one batter, spinner Jonassen is the top bowler and Perry is the leading all-rounder. But these rankings will count for little, with Australia needing to make it through the group stage of the eight-team tournament to reach the sudden death semi-finals.
"It brings a new dimension when you're playing tournament-mode cricket," Perry said.
Australia faces old enemy England in its opening game on March 5 in Hamilton and Beams said they would have a psychological edge after a convincing win in the Ashes.
"They played outstanding cricket and even when they were challenged they stood up in key moments and ensured they could win the game," Beams said.
Four stand-out teams vie for cup glory
Beams said Australia's challengers for the World Cup would come from the other members of the "big four".
"England, we could talk about the Ashes and say Australia were really dominant but they are the previous World Cup winners, they're going to be up there," Beams said.
The host nation sent an ominous warning with a nine-wicket win over Australia in a warm-up game.
"We've seen New Zealand playing really good cricket at the moment," Beams said.
"They're going to be a team that on their home turf feels they can be really successful, they've got some outstanding players.
"India are always a surprise packet, you never really know what you're going to get, Mithali Raj makes so many 50s in this format.
"Harmanpreet Kaur can take a game away from you and that is something she did in 2017.
Making progress with prize money
Total prize money for the tournament has increased 75 per cent on the 2017 World Cup but the winning team will receive less than half (US$1.32m) of what the victorious England men's team pocketed (US$4m) at the 2019 event.
"It's really lovely to see there's continuing development and progress in the women's game and that's been happening for a long period of time now, and you sort of make the remark that every year it seems a little bit bigger and better and more exciting," Perry said.
"One of the big parts of that is just how much of a viable commercial product women's cricket is becoming.
"We've certainly seen just how popular the [women's] Big Bash is at home, the Australian team when they play too and even this summer, the increase in crowds and viewership on television has been wonderful and I think that translates into a lot of the other financial aspects of the sport.
"For us as long as that's continuing to improve and be recognised that's brilliant.
Rather than being motivated by money, the Australian players will be fuelled by a desire to play to their potential and go two steps further than 2017.
"That's why the drive of this current team will be to make sure they're putting in their best performances," Beams said.
"You don't want to get bundled out when you're the form team in the competition."
