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Ricky Ponting (L) and Mitchell Johnson celebrate a wicket - Source: Photosport -
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The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy will remain locked at Cricket
Australia's Melbourne headquarters for another year after New
Zealand were sunk by another dud batting effort in the fourth
one-day international in Auckland on Thursday night.
Australia won by six wickets with 17 balls to spare at Eden Park to
take an unassailable 3-1 series lead with the final match in
Wellington on Saturday.
Click here for the full scoreboard.
Led by an unbeaten 50 from Cameron White and a blistering 50 off 35
balls from skipper Ricky Ponting, Australia were always on track
after being set a rain-reduced Duckworth-Lewis target of 200 off 34
overs.
New Zealand opened the door wide for their visitors when
they folded for 238 off 44.1 overs , having
lasted only 46.2 overs batting first in Tuesday's six-wicket defeat
in Hamilton.
Australia would have had good reason to whinge had they not got
home.
Under the vagaries of the Duckworth-Lewis method, a 90-minute rain
delay saw an original target of 239 off 50 overs somehow become 206
off 36.
A further shower saw the target tweaked again to 200 off 34,
leaving Australia requiring a challenging 5.88 per over and at
least giving the hosts a sniff.
The 11,265-strong crowd roared on Shane Bond and he obliged third
ball by nicking out Tuesday's centurion Brad Haddin for
nought.
Ponting, who'd won his fourth consecutive toss and sent New Zealand
in, attacked and rode his luck.
He French cut Bond past off stump for four then had a miracle
escape on 19 when Daryl Tuffey trapped leg before wicket but umpire
Asad Rauf disagreed, despite replays showing the delivery splitting
middle stump.
Ponting and Shane Watson plundered 82 off 11.5 overs before Daniel
Vettori's spin wizardry gave New Zealand hope in a probing
spell.
He removed Watson for 32 off 41 balls and Ponting for 50 off 35,
leg before wicket decisions in consecutive overs to make it
85 for three.
But White and Adam Voges, who made 34 off 36, ticked along despite
Vettori's efforts and when master finisher Michael Hussey, who
finished on 28 not out, arrived they needed 50 off 50.
Earlier, it all seemed to be going to plan for New Zealand after
their brains trust made the tough calls, axing Peter Ingram and
Neil Broom and shuffling up their big guns into what appeared their
ideal spots.
But from 120 for one, New Zealand collapsed to 238, criminally with
35 balls remaining.
Only a late flurry from Tuffey, who made 34 off 17 balls and
clouted spinner Nathan Hauritz for three consecutive sixes, saved
New Zealand from total embarrassment.
A middle order collapse of five for 34 in 66 balls, including the
big wickets of topscorer Brendon McCullum for 61, Ross Taylor for
15, Scott Styris for eight and Vettori for 12, stymied any hopes
New Zealand had of posting a par total of about 300.
After a swaggering McCullum and Martin Guptill cracked 63 off 7.4
overs, the familiar problem returned of soft dismissals and regular
wickets, despite a healthy run rate.
McCullum was in control before he chipped Hauritz to mid-wicket,
ending a promising 75-ball knock which featured three fours and
four sixes.
Remarkably on the postage stamp ground, with one boundary measured
at just 51m, New Zealand went 22 overs without finding the fence
between the 18th and 40th.
Debutant Shanan Stewart looked jittery, and on four charged at
Hauritz and offered a simple catch to long-on.
Tuffey arrived at 177 for seven and ruined Hauritz's figures by
taking 22 off the 41st over, but New Zealand only used 3.1 overs of
their power play before the innings folded.
Hauritz ended with three for 46 off eight while speedster Mitchell
Johnson removed Vettori and Bond to give him nine wickets from the
past three matches at an average of 14.67.
