Australia win by two wickets after New Zealand post 162
Australia reached their target of 163 despite losing seven wickets for 62 runs.
Australia survived a mid-order collapse to beat New Zealand by two wickets in the opening women's T20I at North Sydney Oval on Sunday. New Zealand made 162 for two, but Australia reached 165 for eight with seven balls to spare.
New Zealand's Georgia Plimmer scored a career-best 85 and Maddy Green made 56 in an unbroken stand of 127. Australia lost seven wickets for 62 runs after Beth Mooney's run out for 38, with Ellyse Perry dismissed for 52 and Ash Gardner for 23. Kim Garth hit the winning boundary.
The result gives Australia a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with the next match scheduled for Tuesday at the same venue.
CricHubb Take
The win extends Australia's streak to eleven consecutive T20 victories while exposing a middle-order fragility that New Zealand could exploit in the remaining matches.