Dominant Aussies secure T20I series victory

Australia have needed only a weekend to add to their silverware for 2020, surging to a seventh-straight T20I win over New Zealand and with it a series triumph at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Sunday.

After Saturday's opening contest ebbed and flowed before the hosts prevailed by 17 runs, today's match was almost exclusively one-way traffic, with Australia's superior firepower evident as they cruised to an eight-wicket win with 20 balls to spare.

Georgia Wareham and Delissa Kimmince claimed three wickets apiece before a dashing Alyssa Healy cameo and assured hands from Rachael Haynes, Meg Lanning and Beth Mooney guided the Australians to a target of 129.

Wareham (3-26) was outstanding in bowling with drift, turn and control after the home side were asked to bowl first by Kiwis skipper Sophie Devine on the same pitch that had been used on Saturday as well as for last Thursday's practice match.

Devine and her opening partner Maddy Green were gone inside the opening four overs, and sensing an opportunity to go in for the kill, Australia captain Lanning brought on off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner to the left-handed Amy Satterthwaite (30 from 25) and inserted herself at first slip.

Satterthwaite however, proved very much equal to the task, punching a boundary through extra cover to get her innings underway. The White Ferns veteran looked better for yesterday's run and quickly got into stride, advancing to both Sophie Molineux and Gardner and depositing boundaries over long-on.

Her partnership with fellow veteran Suzie Bates had moved to 49 when, for the second time in as many days, the fortunes of New Zealand's batting innings seemed to swing with a moment of contention.

From the penultimate delivery of the 10th over, the ball snuck under Satterthwaite's horizontal blade, and Alyssa Healy was as sharp as ever in collecting the ball and then the bails a split-second later. At the same time, Satterthwaite edged her foot backwards towards the safety of her crease.

As with Sophie Devine's dismissal 24 hours earlier, it was a particularly close call, and as the crowd grew restless during a lengthy deliberation from third umpire Donovan Koch, the players awaited a decision they knew would have sizeable ramifications on the direction the New Zealand innings took.

And for the second time in as many days, the lights in the Stuart Law Stand flashed red. Out. And Satterthwaite was on her way.

New Zealand lost their next five wickets for 32 runs as Wareham and Molineux seized the advantage, though the former's third wicket proved another point of conjecture with replays failing to shed light on whether Lauren Down (12) had edged the ball before it ballooned off her pad and was taken by Healy.

The catch was Healy's 92nd dismissal in T20 Internationals, putting her one ahead of Indian legend MS Dhoni's previous record mark of 91.

Having snared the key wicket of Bates (22) earlier, Kimmince (3-21) returned to the attack with great effect, adding two more victims to bring her weekend tally to five, with Nicola Carey taking a pair of excellent outfield catches.

The target set, Mooney dashed out of the blocks with fours through cover and then point from the first three balls she faced, before Healy (33 from 17) took over in spectacular fashion.

In the fourth over, the right-hander launched an aerial assault off Bates, crashing 22 runs including three fours and one sweetly-timed six over square leg six from consecutive deliveries.

It was shades of Healy's unforgettable knock in the T20 World Cup final in March, and though she departed only a few balls later looking to continue the fireworks, her statement of intent had put Australia well on course for the win.

Mooney had looked in impressive touch in moving to 24 before she picked out Satterthwaite at mid off from her former Brisbane Heat teammate Amelia Kerr, and at 2-64, the cool heads of Lanning (26no from 32) and Haynes (40no from 31) came together to re-establish some control.

The experienced pair had time on their side thanks to Healy's furious early work, and they eased into their task before accelerating impressively.

Haynes looked in especially good touch, finding the boundary five times as Australia again asserted control, and in the 17th over, for the loss of just two wickets, the match and the series was theirs.

Australia XI: Alyssa Healy (wk), Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes, Ashleigh Gardner, Sophie Molineux, Jess Jonassen, Nicola Carey, Georgia Wareham, Delissa Kimmince, Megan Schutt

New Zealand XI: Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine (c), Lauren Down, Amy Satterthwaite, Maddy Green, Katey Martin, Amelia Kerr, Holly Huddleston, Lea Tahuhu

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

September 26: Australia defeated New Zealand by 17 runs in the first T20I

September 27: Second T20, 1:45pm AEST

September 30: Third T20, 1:45pm AEST

October 3: First ODI, 10:10am AEST

October 5: Second ODI, 10:10am AEST (11:10 AEDT)

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

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