The White Ferns wrapped up their tour of Australia with a seven run win at Bellerive Oval in Hobart to complete a 3-0 clean sweep in the Twenty20 component of the Rose Bowl series.
White Ferns captain Aimee Watkins elected to bat after winning the toss and along with Maria Fahey put on a 65 for the second wicket as they cruised to 87 for one in 14.1 overs before Watkins went for 33.
The solid platform allowed big hitters Sophie Devine (17 off 6) and Sara McGlashan (17 off 11) to play freely while Fahey anchored the innings with 42 runs from 45 deliveries.
It was an impressive innings by Fahey, notable for her deft placement and quick running between the wickets.
The Australian bowlers struck back with regular wickets in the last five overs with the White Ferns searching for quick runs but the tourists managed to hit their way to a decent total of 141 for seven.
Australia made a great start to their reply with opener Shelley Nitschke cracking 56 from 45 and sharing a 71 run stand for the second wicket with captain Alex Blackwell.
The White Ferns fought back with four wickets for 40 runs to turn the match back in their favour.
Devine and Suzie Bates bowled brilliantly at the death, conceding only 13 runs off the final two overs to seal the win.
Most of the bowling figures were tidy with Bates returning the best figures of two for 18 while Watkins finished with two for 21.
The Australian retained the Rose Bowl after winning the five One-Day Internationals but the trophy is up for grabs again this summer with the return tour starting with a Twenty20 at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Friday.
Completed Rose Bowl Series
One-Day Internationals
Wed 10 Feb - Australia won by 115 runs
Thu 11 Feb - Australia won by four wickets
Sun 14 Feb - Australia won by 102 runs
Wed 17 Feb - Australia won by 10 wickets
Thu 18 Feb - Australia v White Ferns, St Kilda CG, Melbourne
Twenty20 Series
Sun 21 Feb – White Ferns won by 2 runs
Mon 22 Feb – White Ferns won by 5 wickets
Tue 23 Feb – White Ferns won by 7 runs
Upcoming Rose Bowl Series
Twenty20 Series
Fri 26 Feb – White Ferns v Australia, Westpac Stadium, Wellington
Sun 28 Feb - White Ferns v Australia, AMI Stadium, Christchurch
One-Day Internationals
Wed 3 Mar – White Ferns v Australia, Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown
Sat 6 Feb - White Ferns v Australia, Queens Park, Invercargill
Sun 7 Feb - White Ferns v Australia, Queens Park, Invercargill
