Australia 173/9 (Healy 55,Meg Lanning 41, Perry 40; A. Kerr 3/23, Tahuhu 3/37) White Ferns 76 (Gardner 5/12, Schutt 2/8)
8:52am - Australia have beaten the White Ferns by 97 runs in a one-sided beating at Paarl. Click here for a full wrap and highlights.
14th over - Jess Kerr advances and slams a six over deep long-on, the first of the innings.
OUT - Kerr tries to repeat the dose, but Gardner beats the bat and collects leg stump.
Jess Kerr b Gardner 10 (10b 0x4 1x6 )
OUT - Carson is trapped LBW and Garnder has her fifth wicket. That will do us.
12th over - OUT - Tahuhu cramped up and skies an easy catch to mid-on. The procession continues.
Lea Tahuhu c Harris b Gardner 2 (5b 0x4 0x6 )
OUT - Gardner catches Rowe plumb in front of her stumps. Huge shout and the finger quickly goes up.
11th over - OUT - Jensen tries to loft Brown over the infield but is comfortably caught at mid-off.
Hayley Jensen c Jonassen b Brown 3 (5b 0x4 0x6 )
10th over - Rowe finds the boundary, pulling King to the fence of the final ball of the over. Run rate is now 11.30.
9th over - Gardner takes the ball for the first time. OUT - There goes Amelia Kerr and with her, any hope for New Zealand. Edges on to her stumps trying to sweep.
Amelia Kerr b Gardner 21 (30b 3x4 0x6 )
8th over - OUT - What looked to be a comfortable two run has somehow resulted in Green's bat coming up a millimetre short after some lazy running.
Maddy Green run out (Harris/McGrath) 9 (8b 0x4 0x6 )
Kerr has had enough, blasting three consecutive boundaries to three separate parts of the ground.
7th over - Alana King into the attack. Eight runs off the over. The run rate is creeping up to 11 now.
6th over - Ellyse Perry takes the ball. OUT - Bezuidenhout miscues a flat-batted shot, Brown runs in tries to take a diving catch. She comes up wth the ball is clearly unconvinced the ball hadn't bounced first. The umpire wants to review it nonetheless. Looked to have clearly bounced on replay, but the third umpire bafflingly overturns it, claiming Brown's fingers were underneath the ball. Awful decision.
Bernadine Bezuidenhout c Brown b Perry 14 (10b 3x4 0x6 )
5th over - Jonassen into the attack with some spin. Bezuidenhout plays a textbook reverse sweep for four. Kerr looks emulate the shot, they scramble through for a very tight single. Bezuidenhout goes again, lofts a shot over long-on for four.
4th over - Brown continues. Kerr attempts a ramp shot, beaten all ends up. Runs hard to come by so far for the Kiwis. Bezuidenhout breaks the shackles, pulling strongly for four for the first boundary of the innings off the bat.
3rd over - Big shout for LBW, no dice for Schutt but they'll ask for a review. Ball is angling down leg and Bezuidenhout survives.
2nd over - Just a single off Darcie Brown's first over.
1st over - Schutt strays very wide down leg and it'll cost them five. OUT - Huge blow for NZ. Bates plays a premeditated sweep shot and is bowled between her legs for a duck.
Suzie Bates b Schutt 0 (1b 0x4 0x6 )
OUT - Big appeal from the Aussies as Devine is struck on her pads. Finger goes up but Devine immediately reviews. No sign of bat there and the ball is colletcing leg stump. The White Ferns' two best batters are gone inside the first over.
Sophie Devine lbw b Schutt 0 (1b 0x4 0x6 )
7:30am - Australia record their highest-ever score against New Zealand, but it could've been much worse had the NZ bowlers not pulled back the ledger late.
20th over - Jess Kerr up for the final over. Two runs and a dot ball to start. OUT - McGrath caught by skipper Devine. Brown finds the boundary off the final delivery.
19th over - Jensen up for the penultimate over. NZ have done well to peg the Aussies back these last few overs. McGrath drives the first ball for four.
OUT - King taken right on the boundary rope at deep square leg by Tahahu.
Alana King c Tahuhu b Jensen 1 (3b 0x4 0x6 )
18th over - Amelia Kerr returns. Perry uses her feet and hoists one over long-off for six. OUT - Kerr comes back by trapping Perry in front of her stumps, slipping as she tried to pull.
Ellyse Perry lbw b AC Kerr 40 (22b 3x4 2x6 )
OUT - Jonassen departs without troubling the scorers, taken in a bobbling catch by Maddy Green at deep midwicket.
17th over - Aussie on track for a big total here. Harris adds four more to it, glancing Jensen to fine leg. Another perfectly placed flick through midwicket for four. OUT - Confusion over the second run and Harris is sent packing.
Grace Harris run out (Tahuhu/Jensen) 14 (6b 3x4 0x6 )
16th over - OUT - Tahuhu takes the big scalp of Healy, who lost control of a lofted shot for Maddy Green to take an easy catch at deep long-on.
Alyssa Healy c Green b Tahuhu 55 (38b 9x4 0x6 )
Poor short ball cut for four by Harris. Perry blasts one over long-off for the first six of the game.
15th over - Jess Kerr returns. Healy raises her fifty with two through midwicket. Healy cuts for four. Half-century partnership up off just 25 balls.
14th over - Healy has turned up the dial now, blasting Jonas through mid-off for four. Perry edgy but she'll get four. Misfield by Rowe on the boundary and that costs four more. 16 runs off Jonas' over.
13th over - Healy flatbats one baseball style over Jensen's head for four. Great fielding by Jonas saves four. Healy goes shuffles across her stumps and scoops one down to fine leg for four.
12th over - Amelia Kerr continues. Big shout for LBW, angling down leg.
11th over - OUT - Lea Tahuhu coaxs a leading edge from Gardner and Carson collects an easy catch at backward point.
Ashleigh Gardner c Carson b Tahuhu 3 (4b 0x4 0x6 )
Perry straight into the action, glances for four then pierces midwicket for three.
10th over - OUT - Amelia Kerr's wrong'un collects the top of Lanning's off stump, a crucial partnership breaker.
Meg Lanning b AC Kerr 41 (33b 7x4 0x6 )
9th over - Lanning is in her bag now. Sends Eden Carson to the fence for two boundaries and the Aussies keep rolling.
8th over - Jess Kerr back. Excellent over, just two runs from it.
7th over - Amelia Kerr up to the bowling crease. First ball angles down leg and Lanning helps it on its way fine for four.
6th over - Fran Jonas returns. Swiftly punished for a short ball, Lanning slashes it through point for four. Healy advances and goes over midwicket for four more. This pair have looked in complete control since the early wicket.
5th over - Hayley Jensen into the attack. Lanning pulls a full delivery for four.
4th over - Early bowling change by Devine, as Jess Kerr takes the ball. Her first delivery finds a thick edge, Lanning claims four. Healy stands and lofts one over mid-off for four. Follows that with another boundary, pulling square. Great over for Australia.
3rd over - Tahuhu slides down leg for her second wide of the match. Lanning flicks one off her pads, one bounce into the fence at square leg. Healy whips a full toss away for four more.
2nd over - Spinner Fran Jonas will take the new ball at the other end. Healy cuts for the first boundary of the game.
1st over - Lea Tahuhu to open the bowling. Healy ramps one down to third man to open the Aussie account. OUT - Brilliant diving catch at point by Eden Carson sends Mooney packing, massive wicket for the Kiwis.
Beth Mooney c Carson b Tahuhu 0 (2b 0x4 0x6 )
5:58am - Morning, cricket fans. New Zealand have won the toss and will bowl first. Beautiful conditions at Paarl, here's hoping for a cracker.
Here are your teams for today:
New Zealand XI: 1 Sophie Devine (capt.), 2 Suzie Bates, 3 Bernadine Bezuidenhout (wk), 4 Amelia Kerr, 5 Maddy Green, 6 Hannah Rowe, 7 Hayley Jensen, 8 Lea Tahuhu, 9 Jess Kerr, 10 Eden Carson, 11 Fran Jonas.
Australia XI: 1 Alyssa Healy (wk), 2 Beth Mooney, 3 Meg Lanning (capt.), 4 Ashleigh Gardner, 5 Elysse Perry, 6 Tahlia McGrath, 7 Grace Harris, 8 Jess Jonassen, 9 Alana King, 10 Megan Schutt, 11 Darcie Brown.
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Kia ora and welcome to live updates of the White Ferns' opening match at the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa against old foes Australia.
Chasing their third straight T20 title, the Australians enter the contest as firm favourites, winning five of their last seven games against the Kiwis in the game's shortest format.
But armed with some insider information from new coach Ben Sawyer and emboldened by their closely fought defeat the last time they met at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the White Ferns are confident they have the talent to tip up their rivals.
We'll have all of the action from the opening ball at 6am Sunday.
New Zealand: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Eden Carson, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Hayley Jensen, Fran Jonas, Amelia Kerr, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Kerr, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe
Australia: Meg Lanning (c), Alyssa Healy (vc), Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Darcie Brown, Heather Graham, Jess Jonassen, Grace Harris, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Beth Mooney, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham
TAB Odds: New Zealand $4.35 Australia $1.20
White Ferns skipper Devine eases broken foot fears for T20 World Cup
By Alex Powell
White Ferns captain Sophie Devine has eased any concerns over her fitness for the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa, completing her side's second warm-up match without issue.
Devine, 33, travelled to South Africa under an injury cloud, with a broken foot suffered while playing for Wellington Blaze over the New Zealand summer.
But the Kiwi skipper has timed her recovery to perfection and contested the White Ferns' second warm-up match against England before the start of the T20 World Cup on Sunday.
Even in a five-wicket defeat, Devine appeared unhindered by the injury, scoring 14 from 15 balls with the bat.
"It's certainly been a long time coming," Devine said. "It has been a bit of a process to make sure I can get to this point.
"It's just nice to get out on the field with the girls. It was brief, but certainly good to just get back into things.
"I feel great. It probably shows all the work that's gone in behind the scenes with all the staff to make sure I can get through.
"There were really pleasing signs heading into the first game."
Even though the final preparation ended in defeat, the NZ women are content with their preparations. The team have been in South Africa since last month to acclimatise to conditions and have now played five warm-up games.
Aside from Thursday's (NZ time) defeat, the White Ferns have also played an unofficial three game series against England, as well as completing a valuable win over the West Indies on Tuesday.
With the addition of former South Africa fast bowler Morne Morkel assisting their build-up, New Zealand have left no stone unturned in their bid to win a first global tournament since their one-day World Cup triumph in 2000.
"I don't think we could ask for too much more in terms of preparation," Devine added. "We've been over here for close to two weeks now, coming off the back of our own domestic season.
"The team's ready to go, they're really excited. World Cups are big events and everyone's really excited.
"I think we're pretty clear around that starting XI and what that's going to look like, but also how we need to play to make sure we're going to win consistently in this tournament."
After Sunday's opener against Australia, the White Ferns also face hosts South Africa on February 13, Bangladesh on February 17 and Sri Lanka on February 19 to complete poolplay.
