Alyssa Healy struck 170 from 138 balls in one of the finest one-day international innings to power Australia to victory over England in the Cricket World Cup final.

Healy went on from a run-a-ball century to record the second-highest ODI score by an Australian woman and to lead Australia to an extraordinary total of 356-5 as they batted after losing the toss at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

It was too hefty a challenge for England to overcome, despite a remarkable innings from Nat Sciver, who blasted an unbeaten 148 off 121 balls to give England an unlikely shot at victory, but they fell 71 runs short as Australia claimed their seventh ODI World Cup title.

Healy's 160-run opening partnership with Rachael Haynes in just over 29 overs dampened the spirts of an England team that were hoping for back-to-back titles after winning the 2017 World Cup at home.

Her 156-run partnership with Beth Mooney for the second wicket then left England close to despair.

Had it been a one-off, Healy's innings would have been an extraordinary and memorable one. But Healy also made 129 and put on 216 with Haynes in Australia's semifinal win over the West Indies five days ago.

Haynes made 85 in the semifinal and followed up with 68 from 93 balls on Sunday. Mooney followed her unbeaten 43 in the semifinal with 62 from 47 balls against England, including a half century from 38 deliveries.

Only Belinda Clark, who made an unbeaten 229 against Denmark in 1997, has scored more runs for Australia than Healy in a one-day international innings. The fact Healy did it in a World Cup final made her innings even more of a landmark in Australian and women's cricket.

Australia were 316-2 when she was out in the 30th over. From the 138 balls she faced, she hit 26 fours.

Her signature shot was to step back to leg and strike the ball through or over the off-side field, usually between point and cover. Even with the prior knowledge she would attempt the shot, England were unable to prevent it. But she played a full range of shots, including pulls, drives and scoops.

Among other milestones, she took her tally of runs in the tournament to 509, a record for a Women's World Cup which overtook the record set by Haynes during her innings in the final.

Her efforts led to a mammoth chase for England, which ended up being a one-woman mission, with no other batter reaching 30 as Sciver tried to do it alone.

After Healy had played possibly the greatest one-day innings in a World Cup final, Sciver had a case for the second-greatest, backing up her century against Australia in the group stage with a knock that pushed England far closer to glory than they had any right to be.

At 179-4 in the 28th over, there was hope, but wickets tumbled to leave England at 213-8. They still had overs up their sleeve though, and No 10 Charlie Dean stuck around with 21 off 24 balls as the pair added 65 for the ninth wicket.

But Dean fell in the 43rd over with 79 still needed, and when No 11 Anna Shrubsole fell the next over Sciver was left stranded, and Australia were ebullient.

- With AP