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Hamilton - Australia took a 2-1 lead in the Chappell-Hadlee series when they beat New Zealand by six wicket in the third one-day international at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on Tuesday.
Earlier, New Zealand were dismissed for 245.
Ricky Ponting's unexpected decision to send New Zealand in proved a reasonable call as Australia's fast men dismissed the hosts on a good batting pitch. Ross Taylor made a fluent 62 but none of his teammates capitalised on their starts and they will face a tough challenge to defend the total in a game Daniel Vettori described as the most important of the series.
One problem for New Zealand is that the absence of James Franklin due to a hamstring injury has robbed them of a bowling option and Scott Styris, who made a handy 41, will need to step up as the fifth bowler. New Zealand would have batted had they won the toss and were surprised by Ponting's decision, which was backed by his bowlers as the hosts wobbled to 55 for three.
Taylor led the fightback and was in wonderful touch, highlighting his value to the team after he missed the Auckland loss with a leg injury. He reached his half-century from 45 balls, having got off the mark with a searing square-driven boundary off Mitchell Johnson and he later launched a pair of sixes, one pulled off James Hopes and one slog-swept off Nathan Hauritz.
Taylor and Neil Broom (24) combined for an important 71-run fourth-wicket stand before Styris and Gareth Hopkins took up the challenge and posted a 67-run partnership that pushed New Zealand past the 200 mark. The batting Powerplay featured one good over for New Zealand, when Johnson was top-edged and leading-edged for a pair of sixes and Shane Bond was dropped in the deep, but Johnson and Ryan Harris finished off the innings soon after.
They ended up with three wickets each as New Zealand were dismissed in the 47th over. Hopkins made a valuable 45, his highest ODI scorer, and improvised with two sixes and three fours before he was taken at mid-off from the bowling of Harris. Shane Watson grabbed two important breakthroughs including that of Styris, who holed out to long-off.
A much bigger total loomed while Taylor was at the crease and Australia were ecstatic to induce an error from him when he top-edged an attempted pull off Watson and was caught on the square-leg boundary. Broom was less fluent than Taylor and his two boundaries came behind the wicket, one off a thick edge, as he concentrated hard and aimed to lift after making four ducks in his past seven ODIs.
It wasn't to be, and Broom failed to account for Johnson's angle and edged to first slip while trying to close the face and work the ball to midwicket. Broom and Taylor had rebuilt following the loss of Guptill, who fell for 21 to a soft dismissal when he drove Johnson on the up to Cameron White at cover.
For a while it had looked like Guptill and Brendon McCullum would give New Zealand a bright start and their partnership moved along at a run a ball until McCullum chopped on to Doug Bollinger for 23. They had already lost Peter Ingram from the sixth ball of the innings when his lack of footwork again caused his downfall with an edge behind to a good-length ball from Harris.
Teams:
New Zealand: BB McCullum, PJ Ingram, MJ Guptill, LRPL Taylor, NT Broom, SB Styris, GJ Hopkins (wk), DL Vettori (capt), SE Bond, TG Southee, MJ Mason.
Australia: SR Watson, BJ Haddin (wk), RT Ponting (capt), CL White, AC Voges, MEK Hussey, RJ Harris, NM Hauritz, JR Hopes, MG Johnson, DE Bollinger.
Earlier, New Zealand were dismissed for 245.
Ricky Ponting's unexpected decision to send New Zealand in proved a reasonable call as Australia's fast men dismissed the hosts on a good batting pitch. Ross Taylor made a fluent 62 but none of his teammates capitalised on their starts and they will face a tough challenge to defend the total in a game Daniel Vettori described as the most important of the series.
One problem for New Zealand is that the absence of James Franklin due to a hamstring injury has robbed them of a bowling option and Scott Styris, who made a handy 41, will need to step up as the fifth bowler. New Zealand would have batted had they won the toss and were surprised by Ponting's decision, which was backed by his bowlers as the hosts wobbled to 55 for three.
Taylor led the fightback and was in wonderful touch, highlighting his value to the team after he missed the Auckland loss with a leg injury. He reached his half-century from 45 balls, having got off the mark with a searing square-driven boundary off Mitchell Johnson and he later launched a pair of sixes, one pulled off James Hopes and one slog-swept off Nathan Hauritz.
Taylor and Neil Broom (24) combined for an important 71-run fourth-wicket stand before Styris and Gareth Hopkins took up the challenge and posted a 67-run partnership that pushed New Zealand past the 200 mark. The batting Powerplay featured one good over for New Zealand, when Johnson was top-edged and leading-edged for a pair of sixes and Shane Bond was dropped in the deep, but Johnson and Ryan Harris finished off the innings soon after.
They ended up with three wickets each as New Zealand were dismissed in the 47th over. Hopkins made a valuable 45, his highest ODI scorer, and improvised with two sixes and three fours before he was taken at mid-off from the bowling of Harris. Shane Watson grabbed two important breakthroughs including that of Styris, who holed out to long-off.
A much bigger total loomed while Taylor was at the crease and Australia were ecstatic to induce an error from him when he top-edged an attempted pull off Watson and was caught on the square-leg boundary. Broom was less fluent than Taylor and his two boundaries came behind the wicket, one off a thick edge, as he concentrated hard and aimed to lift after making four ducks in his past seven ODIs.
It wasn't to be, and Broom failed to account for Johnson's angle and edged to first slip while trying to close the face and work the ball to midwicket. Broom and Taylor had rebuilt following the loss of Guptill, who fell for 21 to a soft dismissal when he drove Johnson on the up to Cameron White at cover.
For a while it had looked like Guptill and Brendon McCullum would give New Zealand a bright start and their partnership moved along at a run a ball until McCullum chopped on to Doug Bollinger for 23. They had already lost Peter Ingram from the sixth ball of the innings when his lack of footwork again caused his downfall with an edge behind to a good-length ball from Harris.
Teams:
New Zealand: BB McCullum, PJ Ingram, MJ Guptill, LRPL Taylor, NT Broom, SB Styris, GJ Hopkins (wk), DL Vettori (capt), SE Bond, TG Southee, MJ Mason.
Australia: SR Watson, BJ Haddin (wk), RT Ponting (capt), CL White, AC Voges, MEK Hussey, RJ Harris, NM Hauritz, JR Hopes, MG Johnson, DE Bollinger.
