AUS-W vs NZ-W 3rd T20I Washed Out: Sydney Rain Hands Australia 2-0 Series Win, Rose Bowl Retained
The third and final T20I between Australia Women and New Zealand Women at North Sydney Oval on Thursday, October 22, was abandoned due to persistent rain, with the White Ferns stranded on 11/2 after just 2.4 overs of a rain-reduced 14-overs-a-side contest. With no further play possible, Australia take the three-match series 2-0 and retain the Rose Bowl trophy they have now held for more than 26 years.
Australia won the toss and chose to bowl first in the rain-shortened decider. Kim Garth and Sophie Molineux struck early — Garth removing Georgia Plimmer for 1 and Molineux dismissing Amelia Kerr — before heavy rain swept in and the players were forced from the field. After a couple of false restarts, the umpires officially abandoned the match at 9:46 pm local time, ending the series finale without a result.
AUS-W vs NZ-W 3rd T20I: how the Sydney washout unfolded
Rain had already delayed the toss, reducing the match to 14 overs a side before a ball was bowled. Australia captain Sophie Molineux had no hesitation in bowling first on a moist surface under cloudy skies, and her bowlers vindicated the call immediately.
Kim Garth was superb with the new ball, trapping Georgia Plimmer lbw-style through the gate — Plimmer gone for 1 off 11 balls — while Molineux herself removed the dangerous Amelia Kerr, caught by Annabel Sutherland. The White Ferns were 10/2 after 2.4 overs with Izzy Sharp (4*) and Maddy Green (0*) at the crease when the players headed off for what would prove to be the final time. Rain had been falling on and off all evening, the outfield was getting wetter by the minute, and despite brief hopes of a resumption, play was called off at 9:46 pm.
For the record, Australia had retained the Rose Bowl before this match even began, having sealed the series with their 40-run win in the second T20I at the same venue on Tuesday (Australia 167/6 vs New Zealand 127/8). The washout simply confirmed the final margin: 2-0, not the 3-0 whitewash Australia were chasing.
Australia Women retain the Rose Bowl with 2-0 T20I series win
The series result reads: Australia 2, New Zealand 0, with one match washed out. Australia’s Rose Bowl grip — now stretching beyond 26 years — continues. The defining performance of the series was Ash Gardner’s Player-of-the-Match masterclass in the second T20I: 84 off 45 balls with the bat and 2/17 from three overs with the ball, sealing the series in style.
New Zealand will take heart from glimpses of fight — they pushed Australia close in the opening T20I of the series — but the White Ferns ultimately couldn’t crack a Rose Bowl drought that has now lasted more than a quarter of a century. The Sydney washout denied them a final chance at a consolation win.
What the washout means: our prediction vs the result
Our prediction for this fixture was an Australia Women win and a 3-0 series whitewash — and the hosts were on track, reducing New Zealand to 11/2 in 2.4 overs before the rain. But cricket’s oldest opponent intervened: the match was abandoned without a result, so the whitewash pick cannot be counted as right. The honest ledger reads: series outcome correct (Australia won), the 3-0 margin unrealized due to rain. The series ends 2-0 to Australia.
What’s next for Australia and New Zealand Women
There is little rest for either side. Australia’s top players — alongside Amelia Kerr, who will feature for the visitors — head straight into Weber WBBL|12, which begins in Melbourne on October 29. Australia then travel to Sri Lanka for three ODIs in December, before the inaugural T20 Champions Trophy is held in India in February.
New Zealand won’t have long to dwell on the Rose Bowl that got away: the trans-Tasman rivals meet again in a three-game ODI series in Canberra and Melbourne in March, offering the White Ferns their next shot at ending Australia’s long dominance in the rivalry.
For full context on this fixture, see our AUS-W vs NZ-W 3rd T20I match prediction and the report of the series-sealing AUS-W vs NZ-W 2nd T20I match result, where Ash Gardner’s all-round brilliance wrapped up the Rose Bowl.