Tweak to sharpen Schutt for Rose Bowl series finale

Australia pace bowler Megan Schutt hopes a slight tweak to her line and length against New Zealand in Brisbane on Wednesday will allow her to recapture the form that has made her the world's most prolific white-ball wicket-taker in recent years.

The Australians could achieve a world-record-equaling 21st straight win in the third ODI, and the canny bowling of South Australian Schutt at the beginning and end of innings has been a pivotal factor in that run of success, which is unprecedented in the women's game.

In the first and second ODIs of this series however, the 27-year-old said she had been disappointed with performances that have yielded combined figures of 3-90 from 19 overs at an economy rate of 4.73 – almost a full run above her overall ODI mark since the 2017 World Cup.

"I haven't been overly pleased with how I've bowled; I've had some good overs but I've had some poor ones in there as well," Schutt said in Brisbane today.

"In the ODIs I've felt like I've struggled with my length. I need to get a little bit fuller but I think that's the transition from having played so much T20 cricket, and then we're converting back to the T20 stuff with the Big Bash (from October 25).

"The first couple of games my eyes lit up a little bit, being the morning at AB Field. There's normally a little bit more juice in the pitch, a bit of moisture around, and I haven't quite had the swing that I thought I might have … so I had to switch up after a couple overs of trying to bowl a little bit straighter and not try to swing it as much, and adjust my lines.

"So I've been a little bit disappointed but hopefully I can find some consistency."

And it is consistency that Schutt has based her success on since Australia's semi-final exit at the last ODI World Cup, a moment that has regularly been described as a line in the sand for this record-breaking one-day outfit.

The right-armer is positioned second and third in the respective ICC T20I and ODI rankings, and across the two formats her 108 wickets are the most by anyone since that tournament. Seventy of those have come in 43 ODIs, putting her nine ahead of India spinner Poonam Yadav in one fewer innings.

Schutt is well aware of her strengths but it is her understanding of how best to make herself effective even in unhelpful conditions that has set her apart in that time.

"Just being an inswing bowler is what helps me – I often joke that if I was an outswinger I probably wouldn't have a spot in the team," she said.

"There's not many inswingers in the game, I think we're pretty effective and we do something different and that's been my weapon at the start of a match, whether it's ODIs or T20s.

"And then my slower balls and changes of pace go away from the right-hander so that's been quite effective for me in the latter ends, and obviously when the pitches suit, with a little bit of grip, that's even more effective.

"(If the ball isn't swinging) I try and get a little bit more jag off the pitch, so pretty much I look to present the seam as straight up as I can and if it swings, great, but if it doesn't, hopefully my natural angle of how wide I come at the crease can still be attacking the stumps, because at the end of the day if I'm not attacking the stumps, I'm not overly effective."

Without the injured Ellyse Perry operating from the other end, Schutt sees herself being well complemented by the raw pace of 18-year-old Annabel Sutherland.

"It's really cool for me to just do my thing up one end and then have someone who's the complete opposite (at the other); she's fast, she gets that bounce, that pace and a bit of swing at times, too," she added.

"I think she's an exciting prospect and balances out (our attack) really well, and obviously not having 'Pez' (Perry) at the other end we need someone who is doing that, and is a bit opposite to me, and I think that's where we work well together.

"At her age, to see the pace and the ruthlessness she has to come in and bowl a hard length is really exciting."

CommBank T20I and ODI series

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Belinda Vakarewa

New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Natalie Dodd, Deanna Doughty, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jensen, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Watkin

All matches to be played at Brisbane's Allan Border Field

First T20: Australia won by 17 runs

Second T20: Australia won by eight wickets

Third T20: New Zealand won by five wickets

First ODI: Australia won by seven wickets

Second ODI: Australia won by four wickets

October 7: Third ODI, 10:10am AEST (11:10 AEDT)

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