The Southern Stars have completed a comfortable four-one series victory with a 20-run win in the fifth and final match of their Twenty20 International series against the White Ferns at the MCG on Friday.
After skipper Jodie Fields won the toss and elected to bat in fine conditions on a hard, fast deck, the hosts made 7-129 from their 20 overs before restricting the visitors to 7-109.
Southern Stars all-rounder Ellyse Perry was the player of the match for her unbeaten 24 with the bat and 1-21 from four overs with the ball, and team-mate Lisa Sthalekar was named player of the series.
The Southern Stars got away to a stuttering start when opener Meg Lanning - after picking up two runs from Frances Mackay's first ball of the day - was out to the third, caught backward of point by Katie Perkins.
No.3 Jess Cameron was next to go for 11 with the score at 16, caught at mid-wicket in Mackay's second over.
Alyssa Healy and Rachel Haynes combined for a 34-run stand, the best of the innings, when Haynes fell in Melissa Doolan's opening over to a freakish one-handed outfield catch by Maddy Green.
Green sprinted 40 metres to intercept Haynes' lofted off drive and sensationally plucked it from the air at full stretch in the fingertips of her right hand.
When Healy was stumped in the 10th over by Katey Martin off Doolan for a well-compiled 30 from 27 balls-faced, the hosts were 4-67 at the midway point of the innings.
Sarah Coyte (8) and Sthalekar (13) had come and gone by the time Perry brought up the Southern Stars' 100 in the 17th over.
Skipper Fields fell soon after for 12, trapped lbw by her opposite number Bates, leaving it to Perry (24 from 20) and Erin Osborne (11 from eight) to take the hosts to 7-129 at the close.
White Ferns openers McGlashan and Bates made it safely and steadily to 21 when McGlashan (11) was bowled by Sthalekar from the final ball of the fourth over of the innings.
Four deliveries later, Julie Hunter deceived Bates with a slower ball which was chipped to cover where a diving Perry accepted the catch.
After four tight overs from Coyte and Sharon Millanta, Osborne removed Green (15) early in the 10th over to leave the White Ferns paddling at 3-46 at the halfway mark.
The visitors needed to elevate the rate significantly, but the Southern Stars attack gave them nothing to work with.
Amy Satterthwaite (14), Katie Perkins (22) and Kate Broadmore (2) went down swinging, but the visitors never genuinely threatened.
Hunter (2-15) and Osborne (2-19) were the multiple wicket-takers for the hosts.
<b>Southern Stars</b>
Lanning c Perkins b Mackay 2 (3)
Healy st Martin b Doolan 30 (27)
Cameron c McGlashan b Mackay 11 (8)
Haynes c Green b Doolan 14 (15)
Coyte c Perkins b Tahuhu 8 (9)
Sthalekar c Perry b Doolan 13 (13)
Fields lbw Bates 12 (18)
Perry not out 24 (20)
Osborne not out 11 (8)
Extras: 4 (1nb, 3w)
<b>Total: 129 (seven wickets, 20 overs)</b>
FoW: 1-2, 2-16, 3-50, 4-62, 5-79, 6-83, 7-108
<b>Bowling</b>
Mackay 3 - 0 - 18 - 2 (1nb)
Tahuhu 4 - 0 - 26 - 1 (2w)
Broadmore 4 - 0 - 26 - 0
Doolan 4 - 0 - 21 - 3
Satterthwaite 2 - 0 - 14 - 0 (1w)
Bates 3 - 0 - 24 - 1
<b>White Ferns</b>
Bates c Perry b Hunter 11 (18)
McGlashan b Sthalekar 11 (10)
Satterthwaite c Haynes b Perry 14 (19)
Green c Cameron b Osborne 15 (17)
Perry st Fields b Osborne 7 (9)
Perkins c Osborne b Hunter 18 (22)
Mackay not out 20 (18)
Broadmore run out (Lanning) 3 (2)
Martin not out 5 (3)
Extras: 3 (1b, 2w)
<b>Total: 109 (seven wickets, 20 overs)</b>
FoW: 1-21, 2-23, 3-44, 4-53, 5-61, 6-95, 7-99
<b>Bowling</b>
Hunter 4 - 0 - 15 - 2
Sthalekar 2 - 0 - 15 - 1 (1w)
Coyte 4 - 0 - 25 - 0 (1w)
Millanta 2 - 0 - 11 - 0
Osborne 4 - 0 - 19 - 2
Perry 4 - 0 - 21 - 1
