Australia women equal record 21-ODI winning streak with rout of New Zealand
Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry missed the third ODI as stand-in captain Haynes and Healy set-up a 232-run victory
Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry missed the third ODI as stand-in captain Haynes and Healy set-up a 232-run victory
Commentator: Debayan Sen
3.36pm That equals the record as well. Australia record their 21st successive win. And they have absolutely battered New Zealand. Ricky Ponting's men had achieved the same milestone in the peak of their powers, back in 2003, and who's to argue that this Australian women's team isn't at the top of their game either! They went into this match without their best batter and perhaps the best all-rounder in world cricket today, but still had more than enough firepower to put away their trans-Tasman rivals. Make no mistake, New Zealand were a touch disappointing, not least because they chose to insert Australia on a used pitch, and despite missing their pace spearhead through injury. Not much else went right for them either, as Alyssa Healy and captain Rachael Haynes led the way for Australia with the bat. Some handy contributions all the way through took them to 325, their highest ODI total against New Zealand. With the ball, Australia were always going to be quite imposing, with their depth in seam and spin.
Rachael Haynes is player of the match, and player of the series. Speaks on the broadcst: "I thought the Kiwis bowled well to start. The great thing about this ground is the longer you spend out in the middle, the easier it gets. it was great to set a platform from where we could launch at the end. It's a great team to lead, because there are lots of experienced players in the team that know their role. I think for our team [the record] is not something we have spoken about too much. When you think over the time about all the people that we have played over the last three-year period, it's something that we can look back with a lot of pleasure."
Sophine Devine: "It's a tough one. I thought in the second game, we showed we can compete with the best in the world. Today we just didn't show up. [Amelia Kerr] is really good. The way Amy [Satterthwaite] is coming back from pregnancy is also a huge positive for us. It'll be really nice to play on the same side for once [in the WBBL]."
Meg Lanning picks up the Rose Bowl trophy. Speaks to the broadcasters: "I think Rachael and Alyssa Healy have really set us up so well for the batting. Our bowlers have also contributed. [On the record] It's a really special effort, especially over a long period of time. To win 21 on the trot is something to be really proud of, and the way we have swept this series has been something that has given us a lot of pleasure."
3.48pm That's it from us for the moment. Australia get the job done, and surely it begs the question of this winning streak: when will this end?. Australia are a professional unit, and they showed off their depth in the course of this three-match series. New Zealand, alas, only turned up for the second of these matches, but at least they had the win in the third T20I to show for their efforts. For the moment, this is Debayan Sen, signing off on behalf of Andrew McGlashan and the rest of our colleagues. Dan Brettig's report will drop soon. Stay tuned to ESPNcricinfo for more detailed coverage of this record. Cheers and goodbye to you wherever you are joining us from.
HR Huddleston b Molineux 0 (8b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Praises stand-in captain Haynes, and others for stepping up 'at different times' in absence of Lanning and Perry
Australia produced one of their most dominant displays in their 21-match unbeaten run
Stats highlights from Brisbane as Australia completed a record-breaking seventh series win 3-0
Meg Lanning and Ellyse Perry missed the third ODI as stand-in captain Haynes and Healy set-up a 232-run victory
The Australia strike bowler has enjoyed opening the attack with the 'raw pace' of Annabel Sutherland