Ferns improved but Australia clinches series
CRICKET
AUCKLAND: The Rose Bowl will not be spending time in New Zealand quarantine.
Australia ensured the trophy will stay put, fending off a much tougher challenge from the White Ferns yesterday in the second oneday international of the threematch series to take an unassailable 20 lead.
After being rolled for 180 in the opener, the White Ferns put up a fight in Brisbane yesterday, compiling 252 for nine, only to see Australia chase it down with four wickets and 29 balls to spare.
It takes something remarkable to beat this Australian team — the winner of 20 consecutive ODIs, just one shy of the alltime world record set in 2003 by the Australian men’s team.
The Ferns, who have not won the Rose
Bowl since
1999, have now lost eight ODIs on the trot — although five of them have been to Australia, and yesterday’s effort showed they are still a formidable side.
‘‘A really courageous effort. We just didn't have enough runs on the board against a really strong Australian side,’’ Ferns skipper Sophie Devine said.
Against most teams, the White Ferns' performance would have been worthy of victory.
The contributions of Devine (79 from 115 balls) and Amy Satterthwaite (69 from 73) were complemented by quickfire knocks from Katey Martin (26 from 14) and Maddy Green (21 from 13) to reach a solid total, albeit one which could have been better.
The visiting side lost five wickets in nine balls as it mustered just seven runs from the final two overs.
Yet, when Alyssa Healy clobbered Lea Tahuhu for 14 runs from the first over of Australia's reply, the message had been sent — you have to do a lot better than ‘‘solid’’ to win in Australia.
While Devine removed the dangerous Healy, Australia had already rattled off 37 runs in six overs and, when Tahuhu left the field in tears after straining her back, the White Ferns' bowling depth could not make significant inroads into a superb Australian top order.
Rachel Haynes (82 from 89) and Meg Lanning (101 not out from 96) added 117 for the second wicket, to leave the White Ferns requiring a miraculous turnaround.
Sitting on 97 and needing just two runs to win, Australian skipper Lanning brought up her 14th ODI century, and sixth against New Zealand, carving Hayley Jensen away behind point for four to seal the Rose Bowl, and move her team within a win of a world record winning streak.
They can equal that record in the third and final ODI tomorrow. — The New Zealand Herald