Just having a little check in on the weather after the first ODI was rained out and the second was rain affected with DLS coming into play in the second innings. But things are still looking fine in windy Wellington, it’s currently 19 degrees and Met Service in NZ is telling me there’s a 0% chance of rain.

Hello everyone, I hope you’ve enjoyed the first innings today. It’s an interesting one – as James noted, it’s the first time Australia have been bowled out batting first in an ODI in five years, so that sounds like it would be quite favourable for New Zealand, but Australia have also put a big total on the board and it will be a tough chase.

New Zealand didn’t fill me with confidence with the way they went about their chase in the second ODI a couple of days ago, so they’ll need to show a lot more intent and play some big shots from the outset if they want to have a chance of chasing this down. But with players like Bates, Devine and Kerr, it’s certainly a possibility. I really liked the looked of Bella James at the top of the order the other day too, so if she can stay out in the middle a bit longer today, that could go a long way towards setting them up for success.

It should be a fascinating innings coming up, so stay with me and we’ll power through together!

After a hefty partnership between Healy and Litchfield at the top of the order the Kiwis hit back with four quick wickets. Ash Gardner and Annabel Sutherland then rebuilt for Australia with the former finding the boundary with regularity before falling with five overs to go.

New Zealand need to score 291 runs to level the series 1-1.

That’s me done. Megan Maurice will be along very shortly to guide you through the chase. Bye!

48th over: Australia 288-8 (Schutt 4, Garth 8) Eden Carson finishes her spell with a thrifty over, just two singles taken off it. She closes her stint with 0-53 off her ten, she’s held up her end very well. Two overs to go.

47th over: Australia 286-8 (Schutt 3, Garth 7) Four runs off Devine’s ninth over, New Zealand have pegged Australia back but this target is still going to be a lofty one. In fact, I think it might already require the second biggest Women’s ODI chase in history.

46th over: Australia 282-8 (Schutt 2, Garth 6) Six runs taken off Eden Carson as Australia target 300. Here comes Sophie Devine to try and stop them.

45th over: Australia 275-8 (Schutt 0, Garth 1) Kerr finishes with 4-54 off her ten overs. Brilliant bowling. Megan Schutt and Kim Garth the new batters at the crease with five overs left.

44th over: Australia 269-6 (Gardner 70, King 8) Gardner is ticking now, Mair tries a slower ball and it is seen and spanked over cover for four. The all-rounder drives down the ground for two more before flicking off her pads and driving a full toss down the ground for a flurry of boundaries. 21 runs and four boundaries off the over, trouble in town for the Kiwis!

43rd over: Australia 248-6 (Gardner 52, King 7) Fifty for Ash Gardner! She gets there in some style by pulling Penfold over square for SIX. Saw the short ball early and climbed into it. Twelve runs in total off the over, this pair like to find the boundary and could be very dangerous for New Zealand heading into the final overs.

42nd over: Australia 236-6 (Gardner 41, King 6) A lot resting on Ash Gardner’s shoulders now as the set batter. Alana King joins her in the middle and carves away for four off Devine.

41st over: Australia 230-5 (Gardner 41, McGrath 10) Wonderful over from Kerr, she could have picked up both Gardner and McGrath with false shots, Gardner lofts for two off the final ball in a shot of pure frustration.

40th over: Australia 227-5 (Gardner 39, McGrath 9) Carson gets in and out for the cost of just three runs. Ten overs to go. Amelia Kerr is coming on for her penultimate over.

39th over: Australia 224-5 (Gardner 38, McGrath 7) Rosemary Mair has 2-29 and three overs up her sleeve as she comes back for the first of them. Gardner struggles to time the ball off a length and very nearly spoons a catch to Devine at mid-off. Six off the over, Australia aren’t pulling out of sight, New Zealand would love to get a few more and get into the lower order and tail of King, Garth, Schutt and Brown.

38th over: Australia 218-5 (Gardner 32, McGrath 7) Carson rattles through a quick over, a cheap one. Just a Gardner single off it.

37th over: Australia 217-5 (Gardner 31, McGrath 7) Ash Gardner hits Australia’s first boundary in nearly half an hour, a drive down the ground off Penfold breaks the shackles and a pull behind square makes it two boundaries in a row. McGrath looks positively rusty in comparison.

36th over: Australia 208-5 (Gardner 22, McGrath 7) Devine dots up. Gardner comes down for a word with the increasingly frustrated McGrath. The batter is finding it hard to lay a bat on the pace off delivery and cuts a disconsolate figure as the maiden is completed.

35th over: Australia 208-5 (Gardner 22, McGrath 7) Penfold is given the nod, that’s the aggressive option taken by Devine and New Zealand. The bowler still hasn’t found the accuracy and penetration of her last game but the Aussies are struggling to find the boundary too. Six off the over. 15 overs left for Australia and five wickets to take for New Zealand.

34th over: Australia 202-5 (Gardner 21, McGrath 3) Devine uses all her wiles, bowling with a split fingered seam and mixing up her pace. Just two singles off her latest.

33rd over: Australia 200-5 (Gardner 20, McGrath 2) Three singles off Kerr’s 8th over see Australia bring up their 200.

32nd over: Australia 197-5 (Gardner 18, McGrath 1) Tahlia McGrath joins Ash Gardner. Devine gives away five wides down the leg side for the second time in the over, Isabella Gaze has struggled stood up to the stumps today and New Zealand have gifted 31 extras and counting. That’s waaaay too many.

31st over: Australia 185-4 (Sutherland 42, Gardner 17) Sutherland starts to look dangerous as she smashes Kerr for two fours in the over. The fifty partnership comes up off 53 balls, this pair have consolidated well. Gah! Kerr spears five wides past the helpless keeper. New Zealand in need-a-wicket-territory once more.

30th over: Australia 171-4 (Sutherland 33, Gardner 17) Sophie Devine brings herself on and sneaks in and out with a cheap over of two runs.

29th over: Australia 169-4 (Sutherland 32, Gardner 16) More singles and strike rotation, Australia consolidating after their wobble. They can still target a big score in the back ten with wickets in hand.

28th over: Australia 164-4 (Sutherland 30, Gardner 14) Sutherland is so hard to bowl too. Carson is a tad short and she’s lapped away to fine leg, the next ball is a tad too full and is driven past point for four. The next is worked away for three more and before you know it a tidy over has gone for ten runs.

27th over: Australia 154-4 (Sutherland 21, Gardner 13) Penfold returns, the game in something of a holding pattern as both sides grapple for supremacy.

26th over: Australia 148-4 (Sutherland 19, Gardner 10) Carson replaces Mair and apart from a gorgeous cover drive from Sutherland it is a decent over, five dots keeping the woman in form tied down to some extent.

25th over: Australia 144-4 (Sutherland 15, Gardner 10) That’ll make Ash Gardner feel better, Kerr gives too much flight and a front foot drive whistles to the fence at extra cover.

24th over: Australia 138-4 (Sutherland 14, Gardner 5) Annabel Sutherland is in some rare form, she plays a ridiculously good straight drive down the ground for four off Mair. The bowler does well to restrict for the rest of the over, Ash Gardner hasn’t been at her freewheeling best with the bat of late and she struggles to pierce the infield.

23rd over: Australia 132-4 (Sutherland 9, Gardner 4) Kerr hops and skips in, she’s bowling with fizz and tying the Aussie batters down as we approach the halfway stage in the innings. The first hour was all Australia, the second has belonged to New Zealand.

22nd over: Australia 127-4 (Sutherland 8, Gardner 0) Ash Gardner blocks out her first ball and the final one of a successful over by Mair. Australia have lost four quick wickets and need to consolidate. Amelia Kerr and Rosemary Mair have other ideas. Game on!

21st over: Australia 126-3 (Mooney 2, Sutherland 7) Can Kerr pocket another one and really turn the screw for New Zealand? Close! More turn from a good length outside off and Sutherland edges just wide of Devine in at slip. Absorbing cricket as the White Ferns hit back.

20th over: Australia 122-3 (Mooney 1, Sutherland 4) Two new batters at the crease for Australia. Mair tries to bowl the magic ball but Sutherland pings the resulting leg stump half volley for four. Don’t bowl there!

Here comes Annabel Sutherland

19th over: Australia 116-2 (Litchfield 49, Mooney) Beth Mooney joins Litchfield. Rosemary Mair is recalled into the attack. Key period of this innings incoming.

18th over: Australia 113-1 (Litchfield 47, Perry 13) Carson misses her line and length and Ellyse Perry is too good not to make her pay, she clatters two boundaries off the over to keep the scoreboard ticking upwards.

17th over: Australia 102-1 (Litchfield 42, Perry 7) Five runs worked off Kerr as the New Zealand spinners look to rattle through their overs at warp speed. The hundred comes up for Australia. It could be the first of a few in this innings.

16th over: Australia 97-1 (Litchfield 38, Perry 6) Carson follows up with a tidy over that is spoilt at the last at Perry sweepscoops a leg side ball fine for four to make it seven runs off the over.

15th over: Australia 90-1 (Litchfield 36, Perry 1) Ellyse Perry joins Litchfield in the middle. Not exactly who you want to see striding out if you are up against it in the field. Both batters exchange singles to end a crucial over from Kerr.

14th over: Australia 85-0 (Healy 39, Litchfield 35) Carson continues, she’s worked around by Healy and Litchfield with relative ease. Five off the over and the first hour firmly belongs to Australia. Time for New Zealand to re-group over a slurp of electrolytes. Drinks.

13th over: Australia 80-0 (Healy 37, Litchfield 32) The Aussie openers are really ticking along now, another eleven runs pilfered off Penfold.

12th over: Australia 69-0 (Healy 34, Litchfield 24) Eden Carson comes into the attack with her darting off breaks. She looks threatening and lands her first over nicely, challenging Litchfield to sweep across the line into the vacant square region, the batter doesn’t take the bait. Yet.

11th over: Australia 66-0 (Healy 31, Litchfield 24) Penfold spears down a couple of wides, she’s not been on it today so far. It’s a bit flat for New Zealand and this partnership is looking more ominous each over. A glance down at the Aussie batting line up will give the Kiwis some further collywobbles too. Wickets needed.

10th over: Australia 61-0 (Healy 30, Litchfield 22) Litchfield bunts Devine back over her head for another four with a flourish. Devine hits back with a nasty short ball that thuds into the batter’s shoulder. Gnarly pro taking on precocious colt here. Youngster winning the battle at the moment, eleven off the over.

9th over: Australia 50-0 (Healy 25, Litchfield 13) Penfold switches ends and replaces Mair. The Aussie openers are looking to get after everything now, Healy clips for three and then throws the kitchen sink, fridge, island, kettle and toaster at a length ball later in the over but fails to connect. She throws her head back afterwards, which was the problem when executing the shot in the first place.

8th over: Australia 45-0 (Healy 25, Litchfield 13) Now then! After being pinned down Phoebe Litchfield decides enough is enough, she lofts a drive off Devine over extra cover for four and follows up next ball with a wonderfully smooth drive back over the bowler for a one bounce four. Dangerous signs here for New Zealand, 11 off the over.

7th over: Australia 34-0 (Healy 24, Litchfield 3) Healy picks up another boundary and Litchfield shows her first sign of real intent by wandering down the wicket to play a powerful drive, it goes straight to the fielder and she remains tied down in comparison to her partner.

6th over: Australia 27-0 (Healy 18, Litchfield 2) Sophie Devine fancies a piece of the action and brings herself on for the slightly wayward penfold. She fizzes a short ball past the advancing Healy to keep her opposite number honest and starts with an accurate over, stump to stump as Chris de Burgh didn’t quite sing.

5th over: Australia 23-0 (Healy 15, Litchfield 2) Mair tightens things up, just a Healy single off the over. You’re still thinking about those dropped catches aren’t you?

4th over: Australia 23-0 (Healy 15, Litchfield 2) Healy sits back and pulls Penfold to the square leg fence with ease. The Kiwi seamer is struggling slightly with adjusting her line to the left/right hand Australian opening partnership. Drop! Another chance goes begging, this time Healy gets a huge glove down the leg side and Isabella Gaze can’t cling on to it with the gloves. New Zealand can’t afford to give this gilded batting card lives. That’s one each now to Healy and Litchfield.

3rd over: Australia 15-0 (Healy 10, Litchfield 2) Drop! Mair gets the edge of Litchfield’s driving blade but Bella James can’t cling on to the catch diving away to her left at slip. She kicks the turf and shakes her head for the rest of the over. It was a tough chance but she feels like she should have grabbed it. The batters took a quick single and Healy rubs salt in the wound by crunching a drive through cover for four.

2nd over: Australia 9-0 (Healy 6, Litchfield 1) Litchfield clips off her toes to get off the mark. Penfold is trying to find some movement and she’s pitching very full but a bit too wide. The next ball is given wide too and then the over correction is too short, Healy pounces and swivels a pull for four. Penfold finds her length with the final three balls of the over but the forward defensive strokes all come ominously out of the middle of the bat.

1st over: Australia 2-0 (Healy 2, Litchfield 0) It’s a sprightly start from Rosemary Mair who beats Healy with a beauty that angles in and seams away late. Close! A leading edge from Healy somehow finds the gap between point and backward and the batters scamper a couple of runs. That could have easily gone to hand and they are the only runs off the over.

Molly Penfold will share the new Kookaburra, she’s fresh off career best figures of 4-42 after scything through the Aussie top order a couple of days ago.

Here we go, bright sunshine at the Basin Reserve. Rosemary Mair is going to start with a slip in place to Alyssa Healy. Play!

Amelia Kerr speaks about being aggressive and not taking a backward step as that approach just does not work against this Australian juggernaut. The pitch does look a belter and Australia have a stacked batting card, the White Ferns will need early wickets that’s for sure.

Tahlia McGrath, who stood in as Captain in Alyssa Healy’s absence, speaks to the host broadcaster about Australia being ‘ruthless’ and how Annabel Sutherland is playing on a different plane right now. There’s talk of getting this game in the bag and then a 3am alarm tomorrow for the Aussies to get the flight home to spend Christmas with family. They are such a well drilled and indeed ‘ruthless’ outfit already that they won’t have given much thought to eggnog, presents and Christmas lunch just yet. The same can’t be said for myself.

Some nice pre-match reading right here:

New Zealand name an unchanged XI too:

I have it on good authority that the weather is clear and bright in Wellington! Toss incoming…