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Published 23:06 IST, October 5th 2020

Meg Lanning could equal massive Ricky Ponting record in third ODI vs New Zealand

Meg Lanning and co. are on the brink of equalling Ricky Ponting's 2003 record of 21 consecutive ODI wins, if they win their 3rd ODI against New Zealand.

Reported by: Sharmistha More
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Meg Lanning
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The Australian women's cricket team continue to go from strength to strength this year. After starting out their year with a resounding win over the Indian women's cricket team in the final of the ICC Women's World T20, the Aussie Women have emerged from the lockdown just as strong. In their first series since the resumption of women's cricket, the Australian Women's cricket team soundly defeated their neighbours, the New Zealand women's team in their T20I series. 

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Meg Lanning powers the Aussies to 20th straight ODI win 

Chasing 252, Australia captain Meg Lanning and Rachel Haynes put together a 117-run partnership after losing Alyssa Healy early in the innings. Meg Lanning put up a massive 101* off 96 balls to guide her team to a comprehensive four-wicket victory over the White Ferns. This also clinched Australia a series victory over the Kiwis, who can only hope to win the last match on the October 7, to prevent a whitewash. 

This win has propelled the Australian Women's cricket team to an unbeaten 20-match streak in ODIs. If the ladies pull off a clean sweep and win the series 3-0, they will equal the Australian men's team's record of 21 consecutive ODI wins in 2003 under the legendary Ricky Ponting. Speaking in the post-match interview, Meg Lanning said that while it was a nice position to be in, the team would go into Wednesday's match with the same temperament as always - to win the match. 

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Meg Lanning's milestone century

While the Australian Women's cricket team are on the verge of creating history, captain Meg Lanning has created history of her own. Talking about her brilliant performance with the bat at the 2nd ODI she said: "The total is always in the back of your mind, but for me it's about getting in to start with – so the first 20 balls, having good intent, putting away the bad ball and just having really good footwork." She also added that "For us, it was just about getting to the 40th over with wickets in hand, and then if we needed to step the foot down a little bit we could, but we actually didn't need to today. We were able to keep the run rate under control and finish it off a bit early which was good." 

With her century today, Meg Lanning became the most successful chaser in women's ODIs. She has now made 2,125 runs in chases, overtaking ex-Indian captain Mithali Raj, who made 2,036 runs chasing in 52 innings. Lanning also got to the record in record speed, coming in at just 38 innings. 

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Image Credits: Australia Women's Cricket Team Twitter

Updated 23:06 IST, October 5th 2020