Scorecard
A terrific spell from Lisa Sthalekar set up victory for Australia in the rain-affected match at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field. Sthalekar’s 3 for 11 from four overs helped restrict New Zealand to 7 for 80 from their 20 overs and Australia had no trouble levelling the three-game series 1-1 when their target was revised to 74.The home team had 18 overs to reach their goal and Leah Poulton, who made 33, and Shelley Nitschke (25) got them there with five overs to spare. The rain had come early in Australia’s innings following the disappointing performance from New Zealand’s batsmen, none of whom passed 16.Sarah Tsukigawa was the top scorer in an innings where the Australian bowlers were superbly tight, including Ellyse Perry, whose four overs brought 1 for 9. The third and deciding match will be held on Wednesday before the teams fly to England for the ICC Women’s World Twenty20.