Cricket: Stellar Suzie Bates innings not enough for White Ferns against Australia

Suzie Bates scored 77 runs in the White Ferns loss to Australia on Monday. Photo / Photosport

A 77-run knock from Suzie Bates wasn't enough to steer the White Ferns to victory in the second of three Twenty20s against Australia in Brisbane.

Australia claimed a six-wicket win, reaching the 146-run target set by the White Ferns with nine balls to spare.

Opening the batting for the New Zealand side, Bates hit 11 fours and sent two over the ropes on her way to a game high score, however she got little support from her teammates.
Of the 10 White Ferns to have a stint at the crease, only Bates, captain Amy Satterthwaite (27) and Maddy Green (15) were able to score in double figures.

"She produced an innings we'd want her to play every day if she could," Satterthwaite said of Bates' knock. "The disappointing thing is that we weren't able to support her enough from the other end.

"Moving forward, I think we've got to keep looking at ways the new bats coming in can look to create a strike rate from ball one and look to find the boundaries early."

Chasing 146 for victory, Australian opener Alyssa Healy led the charge with the bat, scoring 57 from 41 deliveries to set her side's innings up, and Elyse Villani's unbeaten 46 steered the hosts home.

The sides will meet again on Friday night in Canberra for the third and final match of the series.