Perry ton, Jonassen five-for as Australia retain Rose Bowl

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The ever-consistent Perry, who had 25 fifties in 101 ODIs before Sunday, 24 February, without ever getting to three figures, finally reached the mark at the Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide. Her brisk 107* in 110 balls included eight fours and three sixes.

After her side were put in, she anchored the innings, guiding Australia to 247/7 in their 50 overs. New Zealand found few partnerships of note, with Jonassen, who had taken four wickets in the previous game, adding five more to her tally for the series and running through the middle and lower order to bowl them out for 152 in 37.5 overs.

When Sophie Devine and Amy Satterthwaite were in the middle, the visitors were in with a chance to level the series 1-1. The third-wicket duo had helped their side recover from the early inroads made by the home pacers and taken them to 93 in the 20th over, when Jonassen provided the breakthrough. The left-arm spinner trapped Devine in front for 47, with one that skidded on.

A sharp piece of fielding ran Satterthwaite out, and New Zealand found themselves sliding from 93/2 to 119/6. Jonassen had little trouble cleaning up the lower order: Anna Peterson was bowled, while Amelia Kerr and Lea Tahuhu departed in consecutive balls.

It was the bowler's second five-wicket haul in the ODI format. Megan Schutt chipped in with two wickets.

Earlier, Perry finally shook the monkey off her back with her first century. And she just about got there: On 97, with two balls left in the innings, she swung and was nearly caught in the deep before the ball slipped through the fielder's fingers and raced to the boundary. A leg-side six off a full-toss on the last ball wrapped up a memorable innings.

Perry had useful partnerships with Alyssa Healy (46) and Beth Mooney (42). Dropped on 15, Healy made the most of it, even as Rachael Haynes and Meg Lanning departed in quick succession soon after the Powerplay.

The 98-run stand for the fourth wicket between Perry and Mooney was Australia's best. Three wickets in the 42nd over for Kerr, sending all of Mooney, Elyse Villani and Ashleigh Gardner back denied the hosts a flourish.

It was Jonassen again, who struck 16 in 19 balls, who helped push the total to a competitive one and set it up for a 2-0 lead, and pocketing two more ICC Women's Championship points.