KEY POINTS:
Of all their recent losses to Australia, last night's hurt most for New Zealand's women cricketers.
Having blazed their way through the early stages of the Indian quadrangular series with brash batting and aggressive pace bowling, New Zealand folded meekly in the final as the world champion Australians cruised to a six-wicket win in Chennai.
"They're all pretty upset in here," coach Steve Jenkin said from the Chepuak Stadium dressing room.
"They know they've made big improvements, and we felt this was the day we could win a tournament against Australia."
New Zealand were the form side of the past fortnight, hammering Australia by six wickets in the tournament opener and winning five of their six preliminary matches to be top qualifiers.
But after captain Haidee Tiffen won the toss and batted first yesterday they could only post 177 for nine off 50 overs, a target Australia chased down aggressively with 11.4 overs remaining.
It all went pear shaped early on, just as Tiffen was well set on 33 off 39 deliveries.
A mix-up between Tiffen and opener Suzie Bates saw the captain trudge back to the pavilion, sparking a collapse of five for 28 to reduce New Zealand to 82 for six in the 24th over.
"That was a crucial moment. The game would probably still be going but for that run out," Jenkin said.
Young Australian seamer Kirsten Pike then ripped through the middle order to take three for 21 off 10 overs including the key wicket of Rebecca Rolls for two.
Late contributions from Nicola Browne, who topscored with 41, and Sarah Tsukigawa, who scored 39, rescued New Zealand's innings but it was soon clear that wasn't enough.
Openers Shelley Nitschke and Melissa Bulow plundered 120 off 22.4 overs to set up Australia's second win in six days against their trans-Tasman rivals, Nitschke cracking 12 fours and six in her innings of 81 off 81 balls.
Tsukigawa provided the only resistance with the quick wickets of Bulow and Australian captain Karen Rolton to delay the inevitable.
"There were no excuses for us -- they were up and ready for the final and we didn't play to our potential," Jenkin said.
New Zealand's new, more combative approach where 250-plus totals were the norm had paid off and made the world champions take notice in the past fortnight, the coach said.
"We've made a lot of progress and in some areas we're 12 months ahead of where I'd hoped.
"We've got bowlers who can hit people in the head and batters who try to score quickly. Australia have had to change the way they play.
Jenkin rated Otago allrounder Tsukigawa his player of the tournament while Bates had "untold potential".
He hoped to try and develop more young players for their next tour, the Rose Bowl series in Darwin in July and August, before a one-day international series in England.
- NZPA
