The Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars have taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20 INTL series against the New Zealand White Ferns after recording an emphatic 59-run victory in Game 2 at North Sydney Oval on Saturday.
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Having been sent into bat in overcast conditions on a saturated outfield after heavy morning rain, the home side posted 5-128 on the back of a rapid half-century from Lisa Sthalekar.
The White Ferns were immediately on the back foot in their run chase as Julie Hunter (2-4) and Sthalekar (3-16) took two wickets apiece to leave the visitors in a deep hole at 4-14.
And the visitors never recovered as they struggled to just 69 when Sthalekar claimed the final wicket in the 18th over to seal consecutive victories.
Jess Jonassen (1-13), Sarah Coyte (2-17) and Erin Osborne (2-15) all claimed scalps while Ellyse Perry (0-4) bowled with pace and swing, clocking 119kmh during her two-over spell.
The White Ferns suffered an early setback when Hunter trapped Frances Mackay plumb lbw for a duck with just the fourth ball of the innings.
Sthalekar struck another blow for the hosts when she clean bowled New Zealand captain Suzie Bates in the second over.
And when Hunter had Amy Satterthwaite (5) caught at cover by Coyte off a leading edge next over, the Kiwis were in massive trouble.
The carnage continued when the experienced Sara McGlashan holed out to Coyte off Sthalekar in the sixth over.
Liz Perry was next to fall when she hit a full toss from Jonassen to Alex Blackwell who took a good diving catch at mid off.
Katie Perkins was the only White Ferns batter to off any resistance as she made 19 but she was unable to save the day, holing out to Osborne in the deep off Coyte to all but end the Kiwis' victory hopes.
Earlier, it was tough going for the Australian openers as Sian Ruck (0-20) and left-arm spinner Morna Nielsen (0-24) produced tight opening spells.
Leah Poulton broke the shackles in the fifth over with a classic cover drive for the first boundary of the day.
Not to be outdone, Meg Lanning hit her first four moments later and continued to attack with consecutive boundaries off Nielsen's next over.
But momentum quickly turned back in visitors' favour when both openers fell in the space of five deliveries.
Rachel Candy (2-24) produced a superb one-handed catch off her own bowling to remove Poulton for 18 before Lanning was trapped lbw by Lucy Doolan (1-19) for 27 off 25 deliveries.
Candy had the dangerous Jess Cameron caught behind for two next over to leave the hosts precariously placed at 3-52 in the 10th over.
That left the experienced Blackwell (20 off 27) and Sthalekar (52 off 32) to launch a rescue mission with a timely 69-run partnership.
Sthalekar was the aggressor, smashing four boundaries including a reverse sweep for four to reach her half-century in the penultimate over.
Her superb knock ended two balls later when she was stumped by Katey Martin off Mackay.
Blackwell followed two balls later when Liz Perry, who dropped Sthalekar on 15, took a spectacular one-handed catch on the boundary rope.
