Pressure a positive for Southern Stars

The pressure of two must-win matches against New Zealand will stand the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars in good stead for their upcoming World T20 campaign, vice-captain Alex Blackwell believes.

The Southern Stars squared the series in emphatic fashion on Monday with an eight-wicket win at Mt Maunganui's Bay Oval, but they still need to win Wednesday's third and final game to avoid relinquishing the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1999.

"Two must-win games is fantastic experience for us just generally," Blackwell said.

"There's preparation going into a big World Cup tournament, but even just with this group developing as the world No.1 we want to be under pressure like that.

"Ideally we would have secured the series already but we've got the chance to do that tomorrow.

"It's still improvement to be had, but (Monday) was definitely more like the cricket we want to play.

"Something we really focused on was to be ruthless in the run chase, so to only be two down yesterday was a huge win. That's the sort of cricket we're wanting to play."

Quick single: Lanning's lead act a familiar tune

After failing to chase 203 in the first match, skipper Meg Lanning and star allrounder Ellyse Perry ensured it was a vastly different story second time around, guiding Australia past 207 with nine overs to spare.

While her services with the bat weren't required, Blackwell said she had been plotting her own way to combat the White Ferns attack.

"I think we now know the tactics New Zealand will use on this pitch, the way (captain) Suzie Bates bowls her slower balls and rings up the field, making the batters create risk by either going over the top straight or by playing across the line.

"It's really smart captaincy and bowling her point of view, so we've got to work out a way and be brave to combat that.

"I didn’t bat yesterday but I was thinking about what I would do in that situation. It probably means batting in different places on the wicket, whether you're way outside off stump or using a paddle sweep against medium pace.

"Different people have different strengths. My strength would be going laterally, but someone like Perry or Lanning can hit well down the ground."

Quick single: Lanning, Perry guide stars home

While the Southern Stars may have one eye on the longer-term prize – a fourth-straight World T20 win – Blackwell said they are first determined to extend their 16-year winning streak against their fierce trans-Tasman rivals.

Since her one-day debut in 2003, Blackwell has been part of 12 Rose Bowl series – with Australia retaining the prized trophy on each occasion.

"It definitely (compares to the rivalry with England).

"I've played for a long time and we have looked forward to these Rose Bowl series.

"It's been a big part of our history and we're very focused on making sure we win tomorrow."

BLACKWELL'S MOST MEMORABLE ROSE BOWL MOMENTS

Southern Stars' make mammoth chase, Lincoln, 2008: "In a best of five series it was all locked up at two-all and we had to chase 250 in the fifth match. New Zealand were very pleased with their efforts to set 250, but we went out and chased it down. Years back that was a huge chase. Now, chasing 250 is not unrealistic, but back then it was a bit unheard of to chase so many runs. So it was memorable for me being in a big opening partnership with Shelly Nitschke to set up the run chase. I remember when we walked out, Shelley as the senior batter said the only way we'd win was if we went out and enjoyed ourselves."

Final-ball thriller, Queenstown, 2010: "Julie Hunter's French cut for four in Queenstown. The Kiwis will remember this one vividly. We needed four runs from the last ball to win. Sophie Devine, one of their best bowler, executed exactly the ball she wanted, a yorker outside off-stump. They had the field perfectly set for that sort of ball, but you can't really set a field for a very well played French cut. We got out of jail in that one – the Kiwis were gutted because it would have snapped our streak in the Rose Bowl, but we went on to win the series."

Christchurch earthquake, 2011: "The third memory is not a good one. We were really excited to be playing the Kiwis in Lincoln again, but the series was abandoned after the earthquake. Both teams were affected by that, but particularly New Zealand, who were in the city when it happened while we were in Lincoln. Emotionally it was tough, especially for the Kiwis who had family there or who lived around the Christchurch area. It was a very tough time and in some ways it brought the teams closer together."