NZ v Australia women’s ODI series: Why Aussies can lay claim to being the best of the best

Line up Australia’s greatest ever sporting teams and few can compare with our women cricketers. Are they the best ever? Have your say now.

Untouchable in three and a half years, Meg Lanning’s champion cricket team now sits alone as the most successful ODI side ever assembled.

Their last defeat in an ODI was way back on October 2017, while their incredible winning streak began on March 12, 2018 when they swept India 3-0 on the subcontinent.

Every series they’ve played since has ended the same - whether at home or away, no matter the opposition, no matter whether they batted first or second - another sweep for our golden generation of stars.

There’s no question they deserve the title of Australia’s most successful cricket team, but that’s not where the accolades should stop because their stunning achievement now places them among Australia’s most successful teams in any international sport.

And with that should come a nickname reflecting their lofty status. With the Invincibles and the Unbeatables monikers already taken, they could become the Untouchables because they’re opponents can’t get near them.

Are the Aussie women’s ODI squad now the best of the best?

THE INVINCIBLES

Don Bradman’s side that toured England in 1948 will forever remain the benchmark for all touring Australian teams. Over almost five months, they played a total of 34 matches, including five tests against England, and never lost a single game. Rightly so, they became known as the original Invincibles.

THE DIAMONDS

With 11 World Cup titles under the belt, more than double the next best country, Australia is unchallenged as the world’s leading nation in netball, so the biggest rival is often history.

There’s been so many great teams that selecting the best Australian netball side is a battle in itself but the 1990-94 team stands out from the pack. That team won a record 37 matches in a row, including the nailbiting 1991 World Cup final against New Zealand.

The unbeatable 1982 touring Kangaroos side.

THE KANGAROOS

Australia’s best rugby league players have been touring the northern hemisphere since 1908 but the 1982 Kangaroos were the first to come home from and Britain and France undefeated, winning all 22 games they played, scoring over 1000 points. They were also labelled ‘the Invincibles’ but to prove it was no fluke the 1986 Kangaroos also went undefeated, through 20 matches, and were dubbed ‘the Unbeatables.’

THE HOCKEYROOS

Crowned Australia‘s Team of the Year five times and unanimously awarded the title of Best Australian Team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the Hockeyroos were the most bankable team in the country at their peak. Between 1993 and 2000, Australia’s champion women won every major tournament they entered, including two Olympic Games, two World Cups, a Commonwealth Games and five Champions’ trophies.

The days when the All Blacks didn’t rule.

THE WALLABIES

It’s hard to believe now, but the Wallabies were once the undisputed kings of men’s rugby, at the turn of the last century. Between 1998 and 2002, the Wallabies kept the Bledisloe Cup away from New Zealand for five seasons in a row. In 1999, the Wallabies won the Rugby World Cup for the second time, conceding just one try in the entire tournament, and in 2001, they registered their first series - and so far only - win over the British and Irish Lions.

Record breakers! Aussies eclipse Ricky’s ODI wonders

Australia has entered the record books - and will rightly be in discussion as one of the greatest cricket teams of all time after beating New Zealand in the opening Rose Bowl Series one-day international.

With their convincing six-wicket win over the White Ferns at Mount Maunganui’s Bay Oval on Easter Sunday, the Aussies set a new world record of 22 consecutive ODI victories, overtaking the 21 straight wins of Ricky Ponting’s 2003 team, after they equalled the record in October last year.

Going into the game, the Aussies insisted there hadn’t been much talk in their camp about what came with their potential 22nd win, but surely now can openly celebrate their exceptional milestone.

Ashleigh Gardner contributed an un beaten half century in the victory.

Aussie skipper Meg Lanning described the win as a great achievement that had been carved out over a long period of time.

“Those wins have come over three years which shows how consistent we’ve been at this format … so it’s something we’ll look back on,” she said.

“A real strength of ours over the last few years has been having those key pillars throughout the team and we have been able to add some new players, so we have a really good mix of experience and youth coming through and that gives us really good variety in our attack.

“We like to play an aggressive brand of cricket and that’s really natural for a lot of our players, so we don’t want to put any handbreaks on, we want to go out there and play with freedom and it shows in the way we play.”

After winning the toss, Australia sent the Kiwis into bat and Megan Schutt gave the visitors a perfect start by knocking over opener Hayley Jensen’s stumps with the first ball of the second over.

The Kiwis were on the backfoot at 1-0, and by the end of 10 overs, they were teetering at 1-32.

Alyssa Healy scored her 12th ODI half century in the impressive win.

The Aussies’ line and length was excellent, and NZ found piercing the field difficult. Stand-in captain Amy Satterthwaite had to wait until the sixth over to hit the Kiwi’s first boundary.

By comparison, Aussie opener Rachael Haynes found the rope twice in the opening over of her side’s chase.

The Kiwis were missing two star batters, with skipper Sophie Devine battling fatigue and given a rest while former captain Suzie Bates has been missing since shoulder surgery last year.

Lauren Down did her best to keep the hosts in the hunt with a sensational 90 (134 balls, including eight fours), before being caught and bowled by Nicola Carey late in the 40th over.

The Aussies were excellent in the field, with two run-outs and wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy was sharp with two stumpings.

Her dismissal of Amelia Kerr, who had made a quick 33 (46), was borderline but given out by the third umpire and it shifted momentum, with the Kiwis then losing their remaining seven wickets for only 53 runs.

Megan Schutt got the Aussies off to a great start.

Schutt finished with figures of 4-32 and the Kiwis were all out in the penultimate over for 212.

It’s been five years since the Aussies were last unable to chase down a total of less than 250 – and started the chase fearlessly by hitting 11 from the opening over.

But it didn’t all go according to plan: vice captain and captain, Haynes (14 from 19) and Meg Lanning (5 from 12), lost their wickets inside the first 10 overs and the Aussies were sitting precariously at 2-41.

Healy settled and brought up her 12th ODI half-century before she was caught and bowled by Amelia Kerr for 65 (68), while Ellyse Perry continued her return to form after a serious hamstring injury.

Perry bowled only three overs (0-15), but was critical with bat, hitting an unbeaten 56 (79), while Ash Gardner brought up the winning runs (and another unbeaten half-century) with a six.

Amelia Kerr looked dangerous before being stumped by Alyssa Healy.

Jess Kerr was the best of the NZ bowlers with 1-30 from eight.

Australia had already surpassed the longest women’s ODI streak back in 2019 when they notched up their 17th straight win. They have not lost a 50-over match since their last loss to India in October, 2017.

This side has held the Rose Bowl Trophy for more than two decades, having won every series since 2000.

Originally published as NZ v Australia women’s ODI series: Why Aussies can lay claim to being the best of the best