New Zealand stun Stars in final over

The scorecard: New Zealand 9-101 (20 overs, Bates 30, Strano 5-10) beat Australia 9-61 (13 overs, Peterson 3-1) by eight runs (DLS Method)

The match in a tweet: Peterson's hat-trick trumps Strano's record as New Zealand level series in the Geelong wet!

The hat-trick: Some may have been surprised when New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates, who had allowed just six runs off her two overs to that point, opted not to take the ball for the final over with the Australians needing 11 runs off six balls. But with the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method coming into play, Bates had bowled her alloted overs. It meant off-spinner Anna Peterson, who hadn't bowled up until that point in the match, was thrown the ball for the final over. It proved a masterstroke as Peterson removed Jess Jonassen, Alyssa Healy and Megan Schutt with her first three deliveries to claim a hat-trick, match figures of 3-1 and a series-levelling victory.

The wet-weather hero: With not many runs on the board and rain on the way, New Zealand quick Lea Tahuhu did an outstanding job ensure the Australians were behind the par score when rain interrupted play after eight overs. Tahuhu put the Australians on the back foot immediately, allowing just two runs off the first over. With the par score on their minds, Australian openers Beth Mooney and Meg Lanning looked to attack to put themselves ahead of the game, only for Mooney to fall for five in the second over. Tahuhu's second over – the third of the innings – went for five and after Ashleigh Gardner was run out due to a disastrous mix-up during the fourth, the White Ferns quick piled on the pressure, bowling a maiden. The payoff came when Lanning was bowled looking to attack leg-spinner Erin Birmingham in the sixth over, and the hosts were 3-35 when run stopped play, four runs behind the par required. Tahuhu's four-over spell went for just 11 runs.

The wet-weather scenario: When play restarted, the new target for the Australians was 35 from 30 balls, with Elyse Villani and Alex Blackwell resuming. Unfortunately for the hosts, Blackwell wasn't able to lift the scoring rate before she departed for a 20-ball 14 and while Villani looked threatening, the equation became all the more difficult after she holed out for 19 (17) with 17 runs still required. Jonassen and Healy tried valiantly to find the boundary but instead found the hands of the New Zealand fielders as the hosts fell eight runs short.

The record-breaker: Molly Strano, take a bow. The result should not overshadow this achievement. There's nothing the off-spinner loves more than a big occasion and on Sunday in Geelong – the city where she attended school – and with her own vocal cheer squad watching on, Strano claimed an incredible 5-10, the best T20I figures ever by an Australian of any gender and the third-best overall in women's T20s. A dropped catch off the final ball of the innings denied Strano that piece of history. While the White Ferns made a rollicking start, racing to 0-20 after two, Strano came on and allowed just one run off the third, before picking up the vital wicket of Rachel Priest with a superb ball in her next over. Brought back on late in the New Zealand innings, she tore through the lower order, removing Maddy Green during the 17th over before picking another three with her final over.

The 'keeper: Healy is in outstanding form with the gloves at the moment and she showed off her snappy skills with two classy stumpings on Sunday. First, she whipped the bails off to send Priest on her way, before executing a second, also off the bowling of Strano, in the final over of the innings. Her efforts behind the stumps drew particular praise from former Test captain Michael Clarke, who described the 'keeper as one of the best in Australia, male or female.

The catch: Amanda-Jade Wellington sent dangerous New Zealand skipper Suzie Bates back to the sheds with an incredible diving caught-and-bowled effort. While Bates had been pegged back after a damaging start with the bat, she still loomed as the key to the White Ferns' innings before Wellington sent her on her way in the 15th over for a 34-ball 30.

The wash up: The series is now level at 1-1, with the teams to now head to Adelaide where they will meet in the third T20 at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday.