New Zealand v Australia: third women’s ODI – live! | Sport

March 2020 – There was a cancelled tour to South Africa that would have involved three ODIs.

Win #20 – New Zealand at Brisbane, 5th October 2020

Jonassen again, 4 for 36 to make sure New Zealand couldn’t explode after Devine and Satterthwaite took the score to 168 for 1 in the 39th over. They ended up at 252 for 9, two wickets each to Molineux and Schutt. That could have been a tough chase, but Haynes made 82, Lanning made an unbeaten 101, and they strolled it home despite a few wickets at the other end meaning the chase finished up six down.

Win #21 – New Zealand at Brisbane, 7th October 2020

This more than any was the win that underlined Australia’s dominance. Not just that it was the win that equalled the 21-win streak by Ricky Ponting’s team. But that in pursuing that win, Meg Lanning was absent injured, and Australia just threw in Annabel Sutherland to bat at No.3. Lanning’s spot, Ponting’s spot, and no worries, just throw in a 19-year-old all-rounder known for her bowling.

Admittedly it’s easier to walk in after Alyssa Healy has battered 87 from 87 balls to start things off, and Rachael Haynes is on her way to a score of 96. And Sutherland’s 35 from 56 doesn’t look dominant on the scorecard. But on the day she was so in control, supporting the senior partner, playing crisp straight drives along the ground, turning over the strike often enough, not remotely overawed. Underawed, if anything.

A few others topped off the innings: Ash Gardner with 34 from 20, Beth Mooney with 29 from 19, and Tahlia McGrath with 29 from 11. Australia made 325 for 5 and smashed NZ for 93 in 27 overs. Two wickets each for Schutt, Jonassen, Gardner and Molineux, one for Wareham and Sutherland.

Win #22 – New Zealand at Mount Maunganui, 4th April 2021

This win was all about Australia’s seam bowlers, Megan Schutt with 4 for 32 and Nicola Carey with 3 for 34. Never let NZ get going. Lauren Down made 90 at the top of the order, by far her best score in what is so far a statistically ropey career. Amy Satterthwaite made 32 and Amelia Kerr 33. But the scoring was stodgy and the total was 213.

Not enough when Alyssa Healy clocks 65 at a run a ball while opening, and Ellyse Perry compiles 56 not out in her classic untroubled fashion. Then it was Ash Gardner finishing it off, 53 not out from 41 balls with three sixes.

While we’re waiting, we might as well look at some of the matches that made up this 23-match winning streak Australia. Yeah?

Win #23 – New Zealand at Mount Maunganui, April 7

Four days ago. I thought the Kiwis actually did a good job with the ball here: they kept the scoring tight through the first half of their bowling innings but just couldn’t get wickets, so by about 30 overs Australia had built a good base at 180 for 1, and looked set for 330 or so.

But New Zealand pegged them back by taking six wickets through those closing overs, and the big flourish never came. Rachael Haynes 87, Alyssa Healy 44, Meg Lanning 49, then it fell away. Leigh Kasperek took 6 for 46, the best figures ever in this format against Australia, and the final score was 171 for 7.

That was way beyond New Zealand though, bowled out for 200. Tayla Vlaeminck and Megan Schutt started really well with the new ball, both taking a wicket, then it was spin through the middle doing the damage: Georgia Wareham’s leg-breaks and Jess Jonassen’s left-arm spin. Jonassen was lucky to get the top-scorer Amelia Kerr given out for 47 with a dodgy stumping decision.

But that meant 3 for 29 for Jonassen, who loves playing against New Zealand. She has 39 ODI wickets against them now, almost twice as much as she has against anyone else, averaging 17 and taking one every four overs she bowls. Wareham got 2 for 39.

Still twiddling our thumbs waiting for news from the Mountain. But the Bay of Plenty Rain Radar could be read as the Bay of Plenty of Rain Radar.

Here, if you want to stare at it too.

That is one of the remarkable things about that winning streak. In cricket, you don’t just have to keep beating the teams you play. You have to get lucky enough not to have any non-results during your period of dominance.

Starting to sound like we might get started soon. But here’s an interesting consideration. If we get part of a match today and then it gets called off… that will end Australia’s winning streak at 23 ODIs. Sure, the sports pages can start going to some technicality like “24 matches unbeaten”, but as far as the record books go with a pure winning streak, that would be it.

Right now, that’s not yet the case, because the toss hasn’t been held so the match hasn’t officially started. If it were called off now, there would be no match entry in the record books or on player profiles. But if they hold the toss, then it’s officially a match, meaning Australia then has to win that match in the time available to keep the record alive.

New Zealand of course is where the Women’s World Cup was supposed to be held this year, for the 50-over format. It’s been postponed until February and March next year. But that’s not all that far away now, so every ODI match and series at the moment has a particular significance as teams work out how to tackle that tournament.

Just seeing a clip from the second match, where Leigh Kasperek tried a big dive to save some runs off her own bowling, and ended up more or less faceplanted in the rough turf on the next pitch across. The texture didn’t make for sliding. Her teammate Katey Martin behind the stumps first of all burst out laughing, then asked if she was ok, then very kindly said loud enough for the stump mic to pick up, “Beached as, bro.”

Quite the internet callback, for those of us who remember this.

Anyway, what did I just say about third matches being rained off? Today’s game might suffer the same fate. The toss has been delayed at Mount Maunganui due to rain. The covers are still on, there are a few ground staff wandering around the surface, and the umpires are keeping an eye on things. There’s more rain forecast for later in the day as well. So the question will be whether we can actually get on for long enough to get a semblance of a match in.