Lanning leads Stars to ODI series win

The scorecard: New Zealand 9-270 (Priest 77, Martin 77, Jonassen 3-47) lost to Australia 5-273 (Lanning 104no, Mooney 69, Huddleston 3-44) by five wickets in 49.2 overs at Mt Maunganui’s Bay Oval.

The match in a Tweet: Super Stars win the Rose Bowl! #Megastar Lanning scores a record century to see her team home in a trans-Tasman nail-biter

The Rose Bowl: Australia’s 2-1 series win continues their 17-year unbeaten run in the Rose Bowl. New Zealand last won an ODI series against their rivals across the ditch in 1999, with the Southern Stars triumphant each time the teams have met since they reclaimed the trophy in 2000.

The Megastar: What a player, what an innings! Australia skipper Meg Lanning has gone where no woman has gone before, scoring a record 10th one-day century. Coming in just her 57th ODI, Lanning surpassed former England captain Charlotte Edwards' record for the most ODI tons. Fittingly, Edwards was watching on in the crowd as she posted the winning knock. She started her innings cautiously, allowing first Mooney, then Villani to do the bulk of the attacking as she played the anchor role at the other end. The Southern Stars captain survived a huge scare after a loud appeal for a stumping before bringing up her half-century in 62 deliveries, rotating the strike brilliantly and finding the boundary when the opportunity arose. She brought up triple figures off 111 balls, in what was her third century at Bay Oval, her unbeaten 104 joining the pair of match-winning tons she scored at the ground in February last year.

The support acts: Mooney was the aggressor early in Australia’s innings, racing to fifty from 47 balls and looking on track for another big innings before she was run out on 69 attempting an ill-advised single in the 20th over. After Ellyse Perry perished for one, Elyse Villani helped take the pressure off Lanning with a 42-ball 37, before Alex Blackwell joined in the fun, scoring a 35-ball 32 during a 63-run stand with her skipper. At the crunch, Alyssa Healy chipped in with 21no off 16 balls to guide the Stars home alongside Lanning.

The breakout series: Fact: Beth Mooney loves New Zealand. She scored 53 on debut at Mount Maunganui last year, but that was her sole half-century from her first five ODIs for Australia, as she headed into this series with an average of 21.6 and under pressure to consolidate her place at the top of the order. That spot looks to be cemented for the World Cup now, after Mooney scored 226 runs at 75.33 – the eighth most by a woman in a three-game series - with knocks of 100, 57 and 69, lifting her ODI average to 41.75 in the process.

The controversy: There was a huge appeal for a stumping in the 22nd over after Lanning advanced down the wicket to teenage leg-spinner Amelia Kerr. The umpire said not out and the decision stayed not out after a conference between the two on-field umpires, with replays suggesting White Ferns ‘keeper Priest may have knocked the bails off with her glove after fumbling the ball. Priest was extremely unhappy with the decision, remonstrating with Lanning, and things got heated on the field until the umpires, NZ skipper Bates and Lanning’s batting partner Elyse Perry managed to calm the pair down.

The catch (1): New Zealand’s 60-run opening stand came to an end when Amanda-Jade Wellington found the first breakthrough, Bates departing for 27 (35) courtesy of this stunning catch from Alex Blackwell.

The catch (2): Katey Martin was on 77 in the 43rd over and stood poised to produce some fireworks late in New Zealand’s innings, but her knock was cut short thanks to this piece of magic from Lanning. The catch itself is outstanding and the commentary is possibly even better!

The collapse: A late fightback from the Australia bowlers prevented what could have been a far higher total, as the White Ferns lost 5-22 over the last five overs to finish on 9-270. With the dangerous Perkins still at the crease, the White Ferns looked poised to post a total close to 300 at 4-243 with five overs remaining, but a strong finish from Jonassen and some outstanding fielding from the tourists restricted the hosts, who added just 27 more runs to finish on 9-270.

The consolation efforts: Half-centuries from Rachel Priest and Katey Martin powered New Zealand to a formidable total in their pursuit of a drought-breaking ODI victory. Priest scored just two runs off her first 12 deliveries but quickly upped the ante as she plundered 17 runs off one Lauren Cheatle over, forcing a re-think from Lanning. She made Australia pay for a less-than disciplined start with the ball, and while the in-form Amy Satterthwaite departed for just 11, the momentum swung back in the hosts’ favour as Martin joined Priest in a 97-run stand. Priest eventually departed for 77 (101) but with her departure came another lift in the run rate for New Zealand as the attacking Perkins joined Martin to put on 50 runs from the next 37 balls. Martin eventually departed four runs shy of her highest ODI score on 77 thanks to Lanning's stunner.

The spin kid: Teenage leg-spinner Amelia Kerr didn’t add to her four-wicket haul from the second ODI, but the 16-year-old did manage to restrain the Australian batters superbly. Her 10 overs went for just 31 runs, brought on by skipper Bates at key moments to slow Australia’s momentum, with the tourists justifiably wary after her performance last Thursday.

The maiden ODI wicket: Ashleigh Gardner was included in the Australia XI for the final two ODIs for the option her off-spin would offer against the left-handed Amy Satterthwaite. She contained Satterthwaite without luck on Thursday, but the move paid off big time as she claimed the wicket of the in-form Kiwi for just 11 on Sunday.

The stat: Australia haven’t lost a one-day international series since the 2013 Women’s Ashes in England, where they were defeated 2-1. Since then, they have claimed series victories over England (2014), Pakistan (2014), West Indies (2014), England (2015), India (2016), New Zealand (2016) Sri Lanka (2016) and South Africa (2016).

The next stop: The next time Australia and New Zealand take the field will be during the World Cup in England this June. The Southern Stars squad for that tournament will be announced over the coming months, with the defending champions to undergo a series of training camps in the lead-up to the event.