Brad Hodge and captain Ricky Ponting pull off a five-wicket win for Australia after New Zealand posted a daunting target of 291.
MELBOURNE: Ricky Ponting continued his superb summer with a century to lift Australia to victory over New Zealand in their triangular series one-day international at the MCG here on Sunday.
Set 291 to win, the Australians looked in deep trouble at 3-112, but man-of-the-match Ponting and Brad Hodge, who finished on 99 not out, came together and led their side in a record run-chase at the ground, winning with 10 balls to spare.
In reply to New Zealand's 290 for seven, Australia finished on 291 for five as the Black Caps' frustrating run of narrow losses to the Australians continued.
The Australians have now won 20 of their past 22 matches against their near neighbours. Ponting and Hodge put on 154 for the fourth wicket to turn on its head a game that appeared at New Zealand's mercy.
The skipper eventually fell for 104, made from 113 balls with six fours and one six, but Hodge guided the Australians home. While Ponting, back from a hip injury, continued his imperious form and did not give a genuine chance in scoring his seventh one-day international hundred at the MCG until he was caught, Hodge was the surprise packet as he played for his career on his home ground.
Given another chance at international level only because of the injury to Andrew Symonds, Hodge was on his last chance and started nervously.
However, he blossomed as his partnership with Ponting developed and played himself into World Cup contention. He and Ponting needed more than eight runs an over at one stage, but remained calm under pressure as the Kiwis started to wilt and lost control of their bowling.
Hodge's first 17 runs were all singles, but then he started to find the boundary and faced just 86 balls, hitting seven fours and one six and fittingly scoring the winning runs. Ponting said he had faith Hodge could do the job.
"I've never had any doubts about Hodgey's abilities or capabilities," Ponting said.
"He took over through the middle of that innings really. His last 70 must have come off 40 balls or something, so it's a match-winning knock under pressure. I think he can definitely keep doing that for us there."
The result means the winner of Tuesday's clash between New Zealand and England will face Australia in the tri-series finals.
The run chase came after Black Caps opener Lou Vincent backed up his tough talk with a superb 90 to lay the foundation for New Zealand's total.
Having labelled the Australians arrogant in the media earlier in the week, Vincent was under pressure to deliver and did so despite a searing spell of fast bowling from Australian quick Shaun Tait.
Tait eventually got his man with the penultimate delivery of his 10 overs, but Vincent had already done enough to ensure the Black Caps would set Australia a big target under lights after captain Stephen Fleming won the toss and elected to bat. Vincent combined with the busy Peter Fulton (60) for a 151-run second-wicket partnership. It was the rejuvenated Vincent's third half-century in as many matches since being recalled.
Vincent looked set for a century until Tait burst through his defences and bowled him off his pads. The wicket capped a fine bowling performance from Tait, who copped severe treatment in his first game but may have bowled himself into the Australian World Cup squad.
In just his second one-day international, he claimed 1-26 from his 10 overs and stepped into the rarefied group of the quickest bowlers in the world.
In his second over, Tait sent down a delivery to Vincent that clocked 160 kilometres an hour, just shy of the magical 100 mph barrier.
In doing so, he became just the third bowler, behind Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar and his opening partner Brett Lee, to officially reach 160 kmh.
Scorecard
New Zealand
L.Vincent b Tait 90
S.Fleming c Hussey b Lee 9
P.Fulton lbw b Clarke 60
R.Taylor b Clarke 21
S.Styris c Hussey b Clark 34
J.Oram c Hodge b Lee 15
B.McCullum b Clark 19
D.Vettori not out 3
J.Franklin not out 13
Extras (b-2 lb-11 w-9 nb-4) 26
Total (for seven wickets, 50 overs) 290
Fall of wickets: 1-12 2-163 3-188 4-212 5-233 6-269 7-275
Bowling: Lee 10-0-71-2, Tait 10-1-26-1, Clark 10-1-61-2, Johnson 7-0-48-0, Clarke 9-0-45-2, White 4-0-26-0
Australia
A.Gilchrist b Franklin 29
M.Hayden c Taylor b Franklin 28
R.Ponting c Vincent b Gillespie 104
M.Clarke c McCullum b Vettori 9
B.Hodge not out 99
M.Hussey run out 8
C.White not out 1
Extras (lb-1 w-3 nb-9) 13
Total (for five wickets, 48.2 overs) 291
Fall of wickets: 1-56 2-65 3-112 4-266 5-279
Bowling: Franklin 10-0-56-2, Bond 9-0-64-0, Gillespie 8.2-0-45-1, Oram 5-0-44-0, Vettori 10-0-55-1, Styris 6-0-26-0
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