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Wellington: Tim Southee and Shane Bond ensured New Zealand's series finished on a high but with the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy already conceded, it was only a consolation victory for the hosts over Australia. The 51-run triumph might at least give New Zealand some spark heading in to the Test series, which begins up the road at the Basin Reserve on Friday, and it left the ODI scoreline at 3-2.
Ricky Ponting didn't lose a toss for the whole series and again made New Zealand set a target, but this time on a two-paced pitch their 241 for 9 appeared competitive. A double-wicket maiden from Bond early on put Australia on the back foot before Southee ran through the middle-order with 4 for 36 to confirm the win as Australia were dismissed for 190 with 3.5 overs to spare.
Australia's chase for 242 was marred by two controversial umpiring decisions, the first saw Australia's captain Ricky Ponting given out first ball when a ball from Shane Bond hit his helmet, and not his bat, and Adam Voges was ruled to have touched a ball from Tim Southee when television evidence showed no connection between bat and ball.
Home umpire Gary Baxter made the Ponting decision and Pakistan's Asad Rauf gave the Voges call.
New Zealand might have won the game, and ended the series 2-3 down, but the momentary satisfaction had to be tempered by recognition of another poor batting display with the top-order again failing to give the side the start required as it reached 9-241.
Australia battled all the way against an accurate attack on a slow pitch and while Shane Watson hit 53, it wasn't his usual dominating innings and an indication of how hard it was to get the ball away. Michael Hussey also battled and finally succumbed on 46 when bowled by Southee, who had his most lucrative spell, taking 4-36.
And when Daniel Vettori started his last spell, James Hopes launched into the ball only to be caught at long-off by Martin Guptill to end his 56-ball innings of 40. That spelled the end as Shane Bond polished off the innings to end with 4-26 from 9.1 overs as Australia was dismissed after 46.1 overs.
Again it was largely thanks to New Zealand's lower-order show of resistance with Daryl Tuffey again in the picture, scoring 36 off 41 balls, that New Zealand achieved the total it did.
Going into the game it was the side's top-order which was carrying the burden of expectation with all the correct noises being made about batting sensibly and responsibly. Sadly it all proved to be words alone.
Actions did not measure up in what was a poor representation of a side purported to be ranked No.4 among the world's one-day-playing cricket nations.
It was the manner of the soft dismissals, especially of the top-order players, that left the side suffering a crisis of awareness days out from the start of the two-Test series which starts down the road at the Basin Reserve next week.
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Brendon McCullum (one) spooned a catch to mid-off, Martin Guptill (seven) ran himself out, Shanan Stewart (six) edged a simple chance behind, Ross Taylor (30) couldn't stop himself playing an attempted hook shot at a ball too wide of off-stump and Scott Styris undid all the hard work he did in reaching 55 when playing a ball onto his stumps.
Overall Australia has had too much direction, experience, class and skill both with bat and ball for the New Zealanders who now face the task of lifting themselves for the Test series, despite their win.
Mitchell Johnson, for all the opprobrium heaped on him by unimaginative chanters in New Zealand's crowds, showed his true class by taking 2-42 from his 10 overs to answer his detractors in the perfect manner to finish the best of Australia's bowlers in the series with 12 wickets at an average of 18.33 and an economy rate of 4.73.
Shane Watson also continued his happy knack of picking up wickets at the right time and had 1-31 from eight overs and eight wickets at 21.37 in the series.
Only Doug Bollinger struggled to make an impact throughout the series with four wickets for 231 at an average of 57.75 and an economy rate of 5.87. But in a demonstration of Australia's worth over the series, he was still significantly better than James Franklin, Southee and Tuffey.
Brief scores
New Zealand: 241 for 9 (Styris 55)
Australia: 190 (Watson 53, Bond 4-26, Southee 4-36)
Result: New Zealand won by 51 runs
