The Blackcaps have fallen to a Twenty20 series whitewash to Australia, courtesy of a 27-run defeat at Auckland's Eden Park.
In a frustrating stop-start affair thanks to inclement weather, the Blackcaps couldn't haul in a rain-adjusted target of 126 runs in 10 overs, as the tourists took the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy with a 3-0 scoreline.
Needing more than two runs per ball in their chase, New Zealand were realistically never in the contest, and were mathematically out of the contest at 82/3, and needing to hit 44 runs from the final seven balls.
Glenn Phillips stood out with an unbeaten 40 from 24 balls, but found little support from the rest of the top order in such an uphill task.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, the Blackcaps were put under early pressure as Australia took a liking to the short boundaries at Eden Park – for the second time in three days.
While Steve Smith fell to Adam Milne for four, caught behind by the returning Tim Seifert, Travis Head (33) and Matt Short (27) added a 50-run partnership in just 25 balls.
With the final ball of the powerplay, Short departed when he skied a chance to Seifert off Ben Sears, before rain brought a short break at 72/2.
After the resumption, Josh Clarkson snared the wicket of Glenn Maxwell (20) in his first T20 International over, only for more rain to shorten the contest to 15-overs per side after another interruption.
Despite being given two lives earlier in the innings – courtesy of two dropped catches – Head couldn't cash in, and fell to a catch at short third man by Ish Sodhi off Mitchell Santner.
However, as rain returned again at 118/4, time pressure saw Australia's innings over, once conditions cleared.
Chasing 126 runs in 60 balls, Will Young made a quick start, but perished for a seven-ball 14 when he was caught on the edge of the circle by Adam Zampa off Short.
Seifert came and went for just two, when he departed to a catch at mid-off by Josh Inglis of the bowling of Spencer Johnson.
As New Zealand's last hope, Finn Allen and Phillips added 22 in 14 balls.
But once Allen was out, caught by Mitchell Starc off Adam Zampa, there was realistically no one capable of supporting Phillips to challenge the target.
With the Twenty20 series complete, the Blackcaps and Australia will begin their preparations for the upcoming two test series, beginning in Wellington on Thursday.
Australia 118/4 (Head 33, Short 27; Clarkson 1/8)
New Zealand 98/3 (Phillips 40 not out; Johnson 1/10)
Australia win by 27 runs courtesy of Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method
