Andy Spear at Seddon Park
A Brad Haddin-inspired Australia claimed a comprehensive six-wicket win over New Zealand in the third match of the Chappell-Hadlee series at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday.
After winning the toss and sending New Zealand into bat, Australia looked strong from the get-go and controlled both innings easily before chasing down New Zealand's total of 245 to go 2-1 up in the best-of-five ODI series.
A brilliant 150-run partnership between Haddin (110) and Ricky Ponting (69) did enough to put the result beyond doubt after some solid bowling from Mitchell Johnson (3-41) and Ryan Harris (3-48) in the first innings.
Earlier, New Zealand was lucky to reach its modest total of 245 thanks to a sole half-century from Ross Taylor (62) who was a late inclusion to the side after suffering a hamstring strain.
Good knocks from Gareth Hopkins (45) and Scott Styris (41) aside, the New Zealand line-up failed to fire a shot as the effective Australian bowling attack dominated the innings.
In the Australian innings, Shane Watson (15) was run out by New Zealand wicket-keeper Hopkins in the eighth over before Haddin and Ponting bashed their way through the New Zealand attack to effectively seal the win.
Haddin was dropped by Tim Southee on 83 - adding insult to injury for the Black Caps.
Shortly after Haddin and Ponting brought up their 150-run union, Ponting was caught by Taylor on 69 when trying to smash Michael Mason (1-68) to the leg-side boundary.
Haddin had looked unstoppable from the start of the innings and reached just his second ODI century in the 39th over from 113 balls, hitting seven fours and four sixes.
Shortly before Australia reached 200 runs, Michael Hussey was caught for nine runs by Peter Ingram although the introduction of Cameron White to the crease would have done little to lift the spirits of the New Zealanders who were staring down the barrel of a big defeat.
Hopkins was finally able to stump Haddin for his highest ODI score off Daniel Vettori's bowling with Australia needing just 16 runs from 49 balls.
White (25) and Adam Voges (13) remained unbeaten to carry their side to a six-wicket victory with 16 balls to spare.
Things did not start well for the hosts with the bat when, again, opener Ingram's inability to handle the standard of international bowling was exposed when he was caught behind for five in the very first over.
A brief stand between Martin Guptill (21) and Brendon McCullum (23) looked promising but their aggressive nature proved to be their undoing once more as Australia took control of the innings.
Taylor, Hopkins and Styris did their best to keep New Zealand's hopes alive but the tail end failed to offer any support and could not stand up to the heat of the Australian onslaught as the home side settled for its vulnerable total.
Australia will now be confident of wrapping up the series in the next game in Auckland on Thursday if it can contain the New Zealand batsmen once more.