ICC Women's World Twenty20 final, Barbados:
Australia 106-8 (20 ovs) bt New Zealand 103-6 (20 ovs) by three runs
Match scorecard

Australia captain Alex Blackwell gets a drenching after lifting the trophy

Australia put in an outstanding display with the ball and in the field to defend 106-8 and beat New Zealand in the Women's World Twenty20 final.

Cheered on by Michael Clarke and members of the beaten men's team, they came through despite a disappointing performance with the bat in Barbados.

The 19-year-old Ellyse Perry took 3-18 for the Aussies with a spell of high-class pace bowling in a three-run win.

Sophie Devine finished unbeaten on 38 but her Kiwi partners let her down.

New Zealand thus suffered their second consecutive defeat in a World Twenty20 final, having lost to England at Lord's last summer.

Our bowling attack has a level-headedness and can get through those challenges in front of them Australia captain Alex Blackwell

Their run chase under lights was soon in trouble at 24-3 in the sixth over, but number four Devine, who had also taken two wickets, responded in a 41-run sixth-wicket stand with Nicola Browne to take the match right to the wire.

She needed a boundary from the last ball to tie the match and take it to a super over, but a crunching straight drive was intercepted by Ellyse Perry's trailing right leg.

New Zealand had been outstanding in the field, taking early wickets and keeping the pressure on throughout.

Number three Leah Poulton's 20 was the highest score for Australia as they eked out a total which proved to be just enough.

Kiwi captain Aimee Watkins had the last word in the Australia innings with a superb one-handed catch in the off-side ring to see off Rene Farrell.

Ellyse Perry bowled with pace and intelligence, taking three wickets

In the end, though, Australia's women ensured a degree of consolation for their country's cricket supporters after Clarke's men had been swept aside in their final against England.

Winning captain Blackwell breathed a sigh of relief as she said: "We always believed that total was going to be enough. Our bowling attack has a level-headedness and can get through those challenges in front of them and they did that today."

Perry was named player of the match and insisted afterwards that she had no nerves before having to bowl the final over.

"It's a fantastic opportunity to win a World Cup for your country rather than lose it. That's how you have to approach things like that," she said.

New Zealand skipper Watkins said the defeat was "obviously disappointing".

She added: "We bowled really well and I thought after that we deserved to win the game. But we lost early wickets, had too many dot balls through the middle period and we dug ourselves into a hole. We just left our launch too late."

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