Australia coach Matthew Mott insists big scores are around the corner for skipper Meg Lanning, despite an indifferent start to the women's Ashes series.
The first-drop batter has twice got out in the teens when starting to look set at the crease, following on from two low scores in her three one-day international knocks against New Zealand at the end of the Australian summer.
These early troubles for Lanning, and opener Nicole Bolton, meant Alyssa Healy in the opening ODI and then Ellyse Perry in the second were put under early pressure on their way to half-centuries.
Mott is certain his top-order can turn around their fortunes in the third ODI on Sunday in Canterbury, and feels the team will ultimately benefit from the time in the middle granted to lower-order batters.
"It's probably a blessing I guess, you know some of those top order are due and the fact that we're getting over the line without them is a real positive for us," Mott said.
"There wasn't too many bad shots there, that's the positive, we're two-up which is really important.
"[Meg] got 90-odd in the practice game and looked in great nick.
"[In the second ODI] I thought she looked well set, her intent was excellent and she looked set for a big score.
"It took something special to get rid of her. It's the nature of one-day cricket and you know runs aren't far away."
Mott believes the unbeaten knocks from Beth Mooney and Jess Jonassen in the second could be a precursor to big summers with the bat for both women.
"It was an awesome effort from Beth. And Jess just seems to love these conditions," Mott said.
"They just looked really composed...played good cricket shots...and made it look a lot easier than we thought it was going to be."
