Australia clinched a narrow two-wicket victory over New Zealand in the T20I series opener in Sydney, overcoming a nervous finish after a middle-order wobble. Chasing a target of 163, Australia appeared to be coasting to victory until a collapse saw them slide from 102/3 to 145/7. Despite the late tension, Kim Garth guided the hosts to the win with seven balls remaining.
New Zealand’s competitive total of 162/2 was fueled by a dominant 127-run third-wicket partnership between Georgia Plimmer, who remained unbeaten on 85 off 68 balls, and Maddy Green, who contributed an undefeated 56 off 37. After losing early wickets, the pair accelerated in the final stages, taking 54 runs from the last 30 deliveries, including an expensive 17th over from Kim Garth. New Zealand built their more-than-impressive essay on the efforts of opener Georgia Plimmer (85 off 68) and two-drop batter Maddy Green (56* off 37) as they added 127 runs off just 80 balls for the third wicket. With Plimmer hitting Lucy Hamilton for a hattrick of fours in the ninth over, while Green took on Ashleigh Gardner for a couple in the following over, the duo got boundaries going in the middle overs. They took New Zealand to 108/2 in 15 overs and then got 54 off the last 30 balls.
Australia’s chase started aggressively, reaching 57/1 by the end of the Powerplay. Ellyse Perry was the standout, reaching a half-century in just 27 balls before being dismissed by Jess Kerr in the 11th over. Following Beth Mooney’s run-out in the ninth over, the innings lost momentum. Amelia Kerr removed Georgia Wareham, and Jess Kerr’s double-wicket over in the 15th brought the game back to a knife’s edge.
With 13 runs required from 18 balls and Australia reduced to 150/7, the match remained in the balance. Mair dismissed Sophie Molineux to reduce the target to three, but Kim Garth eventually saw the side home in the 19th over. Brief Scores: New Zealand Women 162/2 (Georgia Plimmer 85*, Maddy Green 56*; Annabel Sutherland 1-28) lost to Australia 165/8 (Ellyse Perry 52, Beth Mooney 38; Jess Kerr 3-25) by 2 wickets. Pushing the team to 85/1 in 8 overs, putting Australia well ahead of the eight-ball, they maintained 10-an-over after the field restrictions relaxed too. Brief Scores: New Zealand Women 162/2 in 20 overs (Georgia Plimmer 85*, Maddy Green 56*; Annabel Sutherland 1-28) lost to Australia 165/8 in 18.5 overs (Ellyse Perry 52, Beth Mooney 38; Jess Kerr 3-25) by 2 wickets.
