Beth Mooney dominated with the bat with her 60 from 50 balls leading the charge after New Zealand had put the hosts in at Junction Oval.

Wickets at regular intervals thwarted Sophie Devine’s side with leg-spinner Georgia Wareham brilliant with the ball, dismissing Suzie Bates, Maddy Green and the captain herself.

Katey Martin (37 not out) threatened to win the day but the White Ferns fell just four runs short of victory as their hopes of Women’s T20 World Cup glory ended in disappointment.

But it wasn’t all perfection for Australia, with star all-rounder Ellyse Perry forced to leave the field with a hamstring injury midway through the chase.

“Ellyse has been a massive part of our squad and team for a long time and you can’t replace her,” said captain Meg Lanning.

“But we’ve got 15 players here who can do a job and you need a squad to win a World Cup. You can’t rely on one or two players and use the same 11 players every game

“We’re going to have to use the depth we’ve got — that’s just the reality of elite sport, unfortunately.

“We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but I have full confidence that whoever comes in can play a role.

“Today’s performance was our best of the tournament so far. I don’t think we could be better placed for the semi-finals.”

New Zealand skipper Devine added: “We let them off the hook at the end of the innings. It would have been a masterstroke at the end if we could have won.

“Certainly skill-wise we’re there. Everyone knows we’re a really talented side. Whether it’s a mindset, game awareness of experience playing in those high-pressure situations. When we get back home, we’ll certainly go through everything.

“That’s the thing about Australia. It doesn’t matter who on the day but someone always seems to step up for them.

“We’re actually really close. To think we’ve taken both Australia and India within five of six runs.”

Sri Lanka’s perfect finale for Siriwardena

Taking four wickets in a nine-wicket win - Shashikala Siriwardena couldn’t have asked for much more in her final outing for Sri Lanka.

The spinner finished with four for 16, the best figures of this edition to date, to help restrict Bangladesh to 91 for eight in their last Group A match.

Chamari Athapaththu, as she has so often in this tournament, shone with the bat to lead Sri Lanka’s chase with 30 from 22 balls.

But this time she had some top-order support through Hasini Perera (39 not out), guiding her country to fourth spot in the group by winning with four overs remaining.

“From the beginning of the day it was very hard as I knew I was playing my last game,” said Siriwardena.

“I was kind of nervous knowing I would be wearing national colours for the last time. It was pretty emotional, but I told myself it wasn’t the time to get emotional.

“I knew my contribution would be important so I told myself to not think about my retirement until the match ended. I really love to perform, but the main thing was getting the win for the team.

“I’m truly satisfied that I did something to help my country. I’ll miss being with these girls. I have spent more time with this team than with my family.”

Bangladesh captain Salma Khatun added: “We need to keep regularly playing the top-ranked teams in order to improve. The more we play with them, the more we’ll improve. That’s the key for us.

“In one match we batted well, in another we bowled well but our fielding has been a constant concern.

“This experience will help us to move forward. The most important things we need to improve on are our power cricket and level of fitness.

“Our fitness is the main thing that will help us improve our skills and performance.”

Scores in brief

Australia beat New Zealand by four runs, Junction Oval, Melbourne

Australia 155-5, 20 overs (Beth Mooney 60, Ellyse Perry 21; Anna Peterson 2-31)

New Zealand 151-7, 20 overs (Katey Martin 37 not out, Georgia Wareham 3-17, Megan Schutt 3-28)

Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by nine wickets, Junction Oval, Melbourne

Bangladesh 91-8, 20 overs (Nigar Sultana Joty 39; Shashikala Siriwardena 4-16, Achini Kulasuriya 2-19)

Sri Lanka 92-1, 15.3 overs (Hasini Perera 39 not out, Chamari Athapaththu 30; Nahida Akter 1-18)

Healy’s return to form continued as she made a carefree 83 to hit the top of the tournament’s run-scoring charts, ably supported by Mooney who ended unbeaten on 81.

Sri Lanka gave them a fright three days earlier but there were no such scares for the hosts as Bangladesh only managed 103 for nine in reply and Meg Lanning’s side climbed to second in Group A.

Healy began with bristling intent, peeling three boundaries from Jahanara Alam’s opening over as Bangladesh’s seven-strong off-side field failed to foil the opener.

Salma Khatun opted to take pace off the ball with five overs of spin in the Powerplay but Healy rocked back and cleared long-on to take the score to 53 without loss from the first six overs.

The keeper-batter made it look easy as she struck sixes over long-off and then midwicket from Khadiza Tul Kubra, bringing up a brutal 26-ball fifty.

Mooney turned over the strike before showing her own strength down the ground with three boundaries in as many overs, helping bring up the first T20I century partnership for the openers.

Their first reprieve came when Rumana Ahmed beat Mooney’s bat and Nigar Sultana Joty was ponderous in whipping off the bails, saving the batter’s skin.

Mooney reverse swept for four to take the stand to 122, Australia’s highest partnership for the first wicket in T20Is.

The breakthrough finally came when Healy sliced to point off Salma, departing for 83 from 53 balls.

Ashleigh Gardner had licence to swing and did just that in the penultimate over, carting Salma for three boundaries in her 22 from nine balls.

The final two overs went for 30 runs and Australia rose to 189 for one from their 20 overs, their second-highest total at the Women’s T20 World Cup.

Bangladesh’s reply began with Murshida Khatun (8) lofting Megan Schutt down the ground at the start of the fourth over but departed two balls later as Jess Jonassen took a fine catch pedalling back at mid-on.

Sanjida Islam toe-ended to the third man boundary from her first ball and was comprehensively bowled by Schutt on her second as an eventful over ended with the score 23 for two.

Annabel Sutherland’s first T20 World Cup spell yielded a maiden wicket as Sanjida was strangled down the leg side for three, with the score on 26 for three.

The youngster was punished for straying down leg soon after by Fargana Hoque Pinky, who built a handy partnership for the fourth wicket with keeper-batter Nigar Sultana.

Nigar stroked Nicola Carey through the covers for four when Lanning turned to spin, and Sutherland leaked more runs as Fargana stroked two boundaries from an over that cost 13.

Nigar and Fargana, who struck Carey for a handsome off-drive, assembled Bangladesh’s second fifty partnership at the T20 World Cup, and it ended on exactly 50 when Nigar skied one to Lanning off Carey on 19.

Rumana made a sprightly 13 from 12 balls but picked out Wareham on the midwicket fence to make it 95 for five and Schutt had her third when Fargana’s top-edge was gleefully caught by Healy.

Three wickets in three balls rounded it off - Jonassen clean bowling Jahanara before Salma and Khadija were run out in successive balls.

Scores in brief

Australia beat Bangladesh by 86 runs, Manuka Oval, Canberra

Australia 189-1, 20 overs (Alyssa Healy 83, Beth Mooney 81 not out; Salma Khatun 1-39)

Bangladesh 103-9, 20 overs (Fargana Hoque Pinky 36; Megan Schutt 3-21, Jess Jonassen 2-17)