Osborne and Kimmince guide the Aussies
Stars complete series clean sweep
Scorecard: Australia v Pakistan, 4th ODI
Career-best batting from Erin Osborne and Delissa Kimmince has set up a 37-run victory for the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars in the fourth One-Day International against Pakistan at the Redlands Cricket Ground.
The pair put on 41 for the sixth wicket to lift the Southern Stars to 9-220 before a solid all-round bowling performance sealed the four-nil series sweep.
As they have throughout the entire series, the Pakistan opening bowlers started well, restricting Nicole Bolton and Alyssa Healy to 0-10 off the first five overs.
Having managed a combined nine runs in three innings so far this series, Healy passed that total by the sixth over with a straight boundary past a diving mid-off.
After Australia passed 50 for the first wicket, Pakistan skipper Sana Mir brought herself into the attack with immediate effect, with umpire Gerard Abood taking his time to raise the finger on a confident lbw shout that saw Bolton depart for 20.
Mir made it two wickets in two overs seven runs later, bowling a charging Healy (24 off 43) with a full, quicker delivery.
Meg Lanning blasted 78 off 77 balls in the last ODI and looked to assert herself with just her third delivery, cutting behind point for four.
That patent aggression proved the Australian skipper’s undoing however, as Lanning smashed a Bismah Maroof full toss straight to the fielder at deep backward square leg.
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With the world No.1 teetering at 3-66 in the 18th over, Jess Jonassen joined Alex Blackwell in the middle with an eye to repeating their match-winning heroics from the second ODI.
But it wasn’t to be their day, the partnership ending on 31 when Blackwell missed a straight delivery attempting a lap sweep to be given out lbw for 17.
Selected in place of the injured Jess Cameron, Kimmince joined Jonassen in the middle for her first match of the series.
The Queensland pair found the going tough against Pakistan’s slower bowlers before Jonassen eventually crashed a cover-drive straight to the fielder to end her innings on 28.
Kimmince picked up her scoring rate after Jonassen’s departure, with the new addition to the side employing deft touch square of the wicket to frustrate the touring quicks.
Mir’s re-introduction saw Kimmince fall, as the Women’s T20 domestic player of the final chipped a straightforward catch to midwicket to depart for 42.
Sarah Coyte (3), Rene Farrell (1) and Kristen Beams (7), in her first international innings, were dismissed cheaply before an innings-best knock from Erin Osborne (47) saw the Southern Stars to 9-220.
After missing the third ODI on Tuesday, Megan Schutt gave Australia a great start with the ball by skittling opener Marina Iqbal for three in the fourth over.
That wicket brought Bismah Maroof to the crease, the series’ second highest run scorer requiring a total of 37 or more to take the top spot.
Maroof’s quest was made that much easier when a fumble at the non-striker’s end by Osborne denied the home side a much-needed wicket as Maroof's partnership with Javeria Khan moved passed fifty.
Osborne made amends however, floating a full delivery into the breeze and drawing a slog sweep from Khan (54) that Kimmince took comfortably at deep mid-wicket.
The spinner struck again three overs later to remove Maroof (26), the series’ second leading run-scorer holing out to Jonnassen at mid on.
Jonassen returned shortly after to have Nida Dar caught at mid-wicket and Beams picked up her second international wicket, trapping Nain Abidi in front for 13.
Struggling at 5-114 in the 34th over, Mir and Asmavia Iqbal went about lifting the tourists somewhere near the Australian target, with the pair adding 34 runs for the sixth wicket.
But when Mir had her stumps rattled by Farrell in the 42nd over and Coyte cleaned up Iqbal shortly after, it became clear the Pakistan chase would end in vain.
Some big hitting from Qanita Jalil and Aliya Riaz added respectability to their total, before two more wickets to Coyte closed out the 37-run victory.
Osborne was named player of the match for her 47 runs and 2-25 while Bolton was named player of the series after tallying 152 runs at an average of 38 across the four matches.
Both sides will now travel to the Gold Coast for the first of four Twenty20 International matches starting on Saturday.