Kane Williamson conceded Australia did not give New Zealand any leeway as Aaron Finch's side cruised to their maiden T20 World Cup crown.
Williamson, who was dropped on 21 by Josh Hazlewood, struck 85 from just 45 balls to guide his side to 172-4 from their 20-over allocation in Sunday's final.
That was the joint-highest score in a T20 World Cup final – along with Marlon Samuels' knock against England in 2016 – and the fastest-half century ever scored in the showpiece of the competition.
However, Williamson held those records for a short time as Mitchell Marsh, who blasted his first ball over square leg for six, delivered a brutal unbeaten 77 from 50 deliveries to see Australia over the line.
After Australia completed their second magnificent run chase in four days, following victory over Pakistan in the semi-final, Williamson admitted New Zealand's trans-Tasman rivals never gave his side a chance in the chase.
"We were trying to get a bit of a platform and the surface was holding a platform," Williamson said during his post-match interview on the field.
"We got what we thought at the halfway stage was a good total, but it was chased superbly by Australia.
"We made every effort to get a good total. Guys came out and committed to their plans. We weren't far away but having said that, credit to the way Australia chased that total. They did not give us an inch.
"I'm really proud of our teams efforts throughout the tournaments. We came here and gave it our best shot, but it wasn't good enough tonight."
Trent Boult, whose figures of 2-18 proved in vain, provided New Zealand with the briefest glimmer of hope when he bowled David Warner (53) in the 13th over.
But Williamson appreciated that Australia were a class above as he looked back on yet another final loss, previously losing to England in the 2019 World Cup.
"Australia are a team full of amazing players," he added. "Today they really turned it on.
"We finish this campaign and such is life in the international schedule is you move your focus. No doubt we're feeling this one a little bit.
"We had high hopes coming into the game. It's never nice. You sign up to these sort of things. It's just a shame we couldn't get the job done tonight."
Windies get major boost in rankings ahead of the T20 World Cup
A thumping 3-0 T20 International series sweep over South Africa propelled West Indies up the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings into fourth place, ahead of the much-anticipated T20 World Cup.
Despite missing a few big faces, West Indies managed to sweep the series, and that along with the rise in rankings should provide a significant boost to the confidence of the Darren Sammy-coached side heading into the June 1-29 showpiece to be hosted in the Caribbean and United States.
With the series win, West Indies (254 rating points), the champions of the 2012 and 2016 editions of the T20 World Cup, are at the fourth place in the list led by 2007 champions India (264 rating points), with 2021 champions Australia (257 rating points) and defending champions England (254 rating points) at the second and third place respectively.
There were individual bright spots for West Indies in the series, who gained substantially in the T20I Player Rankings. This included stand-in skipper Brandon King, whose 159 runs helped him jump up five places to the eighth position in the Men’s T20I Batting Rankings.
His opening partner, Johnson Charles, who hit a blistering 69 from 26 balls in a Player of the Match performance in the third game of the series, gained 17 spots to reach the 20th place.
Meanwhile, Kyle Mayers (31st place in Batting Rankings) and Gudakesh Motie (27th place in Bowling Rankings) were the other beneficiaries from the recently concluded series.
These results bode well for the Men in Maroon, who will be looking for a record third title during their home T20 World Cup. They are placed in Group C along Afghanistan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Uganda.
They start their campaign against Papua New Guinea in Guyana on Sunday.
ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings
India -264 points
Australia - 257 points
England - 254 points
West Indies - 252 points
New Zealand - 250 points
Second washout stops England and Pakistan's T20 World Cup preparation
For the second time this series, England and Pakistan saw a game abandoned due to rain, this time at Sophia Gardens on Tuesday.
After their opening game at Headingley was washed out, the teams endured another frustrating day in Cardiff as the umpires called off the third match without a single bowl being bowled.
England’s 23-run victory at Edgbaston on Saturday means they have an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series.
However, Pakistan have one last chance to level things at The Oval on Thursday before both teams head off to the United States for the T20I World Cup in June.
“We got taught a lesson”: van der Dussen credits Windies for dominant performance in T20I series
South Africa stand-in Captain Rassie van der Dussen gave his West Indian counterparts all the praise in the world after his side suffered a dominant 0-3 defeat in their three T20Is from May 23-26 at Sabina Park in Kingston.
The hosts won last Thursday’s first encounter by 28 runs, their biggest win over South Africa in T20Is, and followed it up with a 16-run win in the second game on Saturday and a dominant eight-wicket triumph in the third match on Sunday.
The skipper put the South African performance down to an inability to quickly adapt to the conditions of the Sabina Park pitch.
“We just couldn’t adapt early enough. Yes, we had a long week in terms of layovers in Miami and so forth. I think we saw that in the first match but you can’t keep making the same mistakes,” van der Dussen said after Sunday’s game.
“I think we just got taught a lesson on how to play in Caribbean conditions, especially from a bowling front. It was a difficult wicket to bat on. I think they just out-skilled us, especially with the ball,” he added.
When asked about positives he could take from the three games, he singled out openers Quinton de Kock and Reeza Hendricks as well as young leg-spinner Nqaba Peter who played the last two games, the first two T20Is of his career.
The 35-year-old, who was left out of South Africa’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, says an adjustment he hopes the team makes with the bat is to take a few more chances up front.
“Maybe just be a bit braver. We saw the way the West Indies play, especially in the power play. They really take it on and when the ball’s newer, it’s easier to score than in the back end when the ball gets soft,” he said.
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