With the Southern Stars needing 11 runs to win from the final over with five wickets in hand, off-spinner Peterson – who hadn't bowled to that point of the innings – claimed the wickets of Jess Jonassen, Alyssa Healy and Megan Schutt with her first three balls of the match. All three were caught skying, typifying the desperation of the hosts who had failed to generate momentum throughout their rain-interrupted chase.

Having taken just the sixth hat-trick in women's T20 internationals, the first by a New Zealander, Peterson was named player of the match.

"I just had to bowl the ball really and the fielders caught it. I only did half the job really," she said.

A run out off the final ball of the match ensured Australia finished at 9-61 from 13 overs, nine runs short of their revised target of 70, having earlier restricted the White Ferns to 9-101 from their 20 overs after Southern Stars captain Meg Lanning won a toss delayed by 17 minutes due to rain.

Setting off in pursuit of 102, Australia were tied down early by the tight spell of New Zealand seamer Lea Tahuhu (0-11 from four overs). Australian opener Beth Mooney's poor series continued as she chopped on to medium-pacer Holly Huddleston in the second over, while teenage prodigy Ashleigh Gardner was run out for the second time in her fledgling international career after a mix-up with Lanning. Having already been dropped once on Sunday, Lanning's frustrating stay in the middle ended on nine when she mis-timed a length ball from leg-spinner Erin Bermingham and was bowled.

The light rain intensified, forcing the players off the field with Australia 3-35 after eight overs, four runs behind the par score. The teams eventually came back out around 45 minutes later, with Australia needing 35 from five overs.

But the runs wouldn't flow freely after the resumption either, and Peterson's late heroics secured victory for the tourists.

Earlier Schutt dropped Bermingham in the deep off the final ball of the New Zealand innings. If the catch had been held, Molly Strano would have finished with figures of 6-8, which would have been a women's T20 international record. The off-spinner had to console herself with figures of 5-10 from four overs, still the best figures by an Australian in either men's or women's T20 internationals. Strano said it was a "bittersweet" day for her.

"It's really disappointing not to get the win. I hate losing, especially when you've got the green and gold on and you've got the big crowd here," she said.

Excitingly for the Southern Stars, eight of the nine New Zealand wickets were taken by either Strano, Amanda-Jade Wellington or Gardner, all of whom made their T20 international debuts in Friday's win over the White Ferns at the MCG. But Australia's cause wasn't helped by three dropped catches, including a difficult chance grassed by Lanning at first slip, her third dropped catch of the series.