World Cup awaits as rivals dash off to the unknown

With a T20I series clean sweep done and dusted, Australia now turn their complete attention to the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates starting in just nine days’ time.

It is a swift turnaround, and the Australian squad will be airborne and on their way to Dubai on Wednesday evening.

That 24-hour gap is a luxury compared to the scenario faced by New Zealand, who had less than an hour between the end of their five-wicket defeat on Tuesday night and their deadline to arrive at Brisbane airport for their own flight to the UAE, departing at 2am.

Captain Sophie Devine was the only White Fern present at the end-of-series ceremony at Allan Border Field and with good reason – her teammates were hastily packing their kitbags and loading the vans ready for a speedy getaway.

Both camps will have only a brief window to digest the lessons learned across their three-game series in Queensland before shifting focus to the unknown of the UAE, where Australia have never played, and New Zealand have played just one series in 2017.

Australia are due to touch down just after 5am on Thursday morning and will have several days to acclimatise and get their first look at the UAE pitches ahead of their first warm-up match on Sunday evening.

"I feel like we played some good cricket in patches," Georgia Wareham told reporters of the 3-0 T20I series win. 

"To come away with three wins is a really good testament to where we're at as a group, but we probably didn't play our best cricket and we still got the job done, so that is pretty exciting for the group. 

"There's a lot of key learnings from the three games that we'll take it take across to Dubai when we fly there tomorrow."

Looking to add some impetus to the top order, Australia elevated Wareham to No.3 for Tuesday’s final T20 and it paid off, with the Victorian smacking 26 from 16 balls.

It was the second time Wareham has been promoted to first drop – the first was in March against Bangladesh when she struck 57 – and while she was not sure if the trend would continue at the World Cup, it is a role she is happy to embrace.

It also capped a standout series for the leg-spinner, who hit 61 runs at a strike rate of 141.86 and took four wickets across the three matches.

"Getting the opportunity to bat up the order and in the Powerplay is fun ... I was really excited to get that (chance) again," Wareham said. 

"For it to come off tonight was really good. 

"And I feel like the ball's coming out okay at the moment as well, so those are good signs leading into the World Cup."

The conditions in Dubai and Sharjah will pose a different challenge to those seen in Mackay and Brisbane, but the final T20I at Allan Border Field did at least offer a taste of one factor likely to play a role in the UAE: dew.

Devine revealed after the match that was partly why she chose to bat first, wanting her team to practice bowling and fielding with a slippery ball.

She also hailed the breakthrough innings produced by 20-year-old opener Georgia Plimmer, who hit a career-best 53 in the final T20I. 

"(Plimmer’s innings) was huge … we've seen the potential in the in the nets and we've seen the hard work that she's put in behind the closed doors, so for her to get the reward today against a top-quality Australian side, hopefully that sets her on her way," Devine said

New Zealand’s record winless streak has extended to 10 games following their 3-0 loss to Australia, but Devine said she could see the progress being made.

The White Ferns’ spinners in particular proved tricky for Australia, while their batting improved across the three matches. 

"We knew the challenge that we were up against playing Australia, they're the world's best team for a really good reason," Devine continued. 

"There's plenty of positives for us to take out this series, obviously would have been nice to get a win, but I think we're really trending in the right direction. 

"We'll reflect and we'll review quickly, because we're on a flight in about three hours, so for us, it's taking away the positives and moving forward quickly. " 

The teams will not have to wait long to go toe-to-toe again. Both are in Group A at the World Cup and will meet at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on October 8 (1am October 9 AEDT).

"The great thing is one-off games in the World Cup is where we thrive," Devine said. 

"We're really looking forward to that opportunity, everything starts back at zero, which we'll certainly use to our advantage. This series has been fantastic preparation."

CommBank T20I Series v New Zealand   

Australia squad: Alyssa Healy (c), Tahlia McGrath (vc), Darcie Brown, Ash Gardner, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Eden Carson, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Fran Jonas, Leigh Kasperek, Jess Kerr, Melie Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu

First T20: Australia defeated New Zealand by five wickets

Second T20: Australia defeated New Zealand by 29 runs

Third T20: Australia defeated New Zealand by five wickets