Australian women equal men's ODI record with consecutive 21st win
They beat New Zealand by 232 runs
Thursday, 8 October 2020
BRISBANE, Australia, Oct 7 (AP): The Australian women's team beat New Zealand by 232 runs on Wednesday to record its 21st consecutive win in one-day international cricket and equal a world mark set by Ricky Ponting's Australian men's team in 2003.
The Australian women haven't been beaten in an ODI since losing to England on Oct. 29, 2017. The winning streak started in India in March 2018 and also included series wins over Pakistan, England, West Indies, Sri Lanka and New Zealand.
Regular captain Meg Lanning, who missed Wednesday's game because of a hamstring injury sustained while scoring an unbeaten century in Australia's series-clinching win on Monday, said her team wanted to cap off the Rose Bowl series and reach the milestone 21 with an emphatic win.
"It's nice to finish off with a big win today," Lanning said as she accepted the trophy. "It's a really special effort, especially over a long period of time.
"To win 21 on the trot is a great effort and something we're really proud of."
Despite the absence of Lanning and star allrounderEllyse Perry, who missed the series because of injury, the Australians still raced to their biggest win over New Zealand.
Australia's total of 325-5 virtually took the game away from New Zealand, which needed the biggest successful chase in women's ODI history to secure an unlikely victory.