Australia won't be taking their foot off the accelerator during the final game of the ODI series against New Zealand
Rivals keen to finish series on a high
Making sure no late lapses put a dampener on a successful summer will be front of mind for Australia heading into Sunday's third and final Commonwealth Bank ODI at Melbourne's Junction Oval.
Holding an unassailable two-nil series lead over New Zealand, the series finale is an opportunity to seal a rare one-day series sweep against their trans-Tasman rivals.
"It would be disappointing to walk away having won the series but letting that last game slide," Australia wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy said on Friday.
"We want to finish off the summer with a win. That's something we didn't finish off in the Ashes (in late 2017).
"It's one thing we've been speaking about as a group, finishing off a series well, so that's key for us on Sunday."
Australia had already retained the multi-format Ashes with two T20Is to go in late 2017 but surrendered the final two matches to see the series drawn with eight points apiece.
It was enough to keep the silverware in Australia's hands, but maintaining their hunger through to the final game is something Meg Lanning's team are now determined to do in every series they contest.
Since those Ashes T20 defeats, Australia have dropped just two matches – a solitary T20 to England during the T20I tri-series in India last March, in a series they ultimately won, while they also dropped a single group match during their successful T20 World Cup campaign last November.
In that time, they've formed a habit of clean sweeping teams, recording 3-0 ODI series wins over India and Pakistan, and 3-0 T20I victories against New Zealand and Pakistan.
However, Healy isn't expecting New Zealand to make a clean sweep easy for their trans-Tasman cousins and the White Ferns received a welcome confidence boost when they romped to a 166-run win over the Governor-General's XI in Sydney on Thursday.
"They'll be fully confident no doubt, we're two-nil up so they can't grab the Rose Bowl but we're very wary of their side," Healy said.
"They're a powerful outfit so hopefully we can keep them quiet for one more game."
Speaking after the second ODI in Adelaide, White Ferns captain Amy Satterthwaite said her team would be aiming to salvage some pride from the final one-dayer.
"(We want to) just show what we can produce," Satterthwaite said.
"We've shown it in patches and we've talked all series about how we have to produce quality performances against a quality side in Australia to beat them, and I think we've been close in phases and just not been able to finish it off.
"So our the goal would certainly be to play for a lot of pride and showing the performances we can produce."
The third and final ODI on Sunday, beginning 10.50am local, will be broadcast live on Fox Sports and the Seven Network and can be live streamed via Kayo, with news, scores and highlights on cricket.com.au and the CA Live App.
CommBank ODIs v NZ
Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Nicola Carey, Lauren Cheatle, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Elyse Villani, Georgia Wareham
New Zealand squad: Amy Satterthwaite (c), Suzie Bates, Sophie Devine, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Hayley Jensen, Leigh Kasperek, Amelia Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Katie Perkins, Anna Peterson, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
February 22: Australia won by five runs
February 24: Australia won by 95 runs
March 3: Third ODI, Junction Oval, Melbourne