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WELLINGTON, Dec 7: Australia beat New Zealand by two runs in a thrilling one-day match on Wednesday to win the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. Australia looked to have the match in hand after Andrew Symonds (156) and Michael Clarke (82 not out) helped the world champions post a daunting 322 for five from 50 overs.
But the Kiwis almost stole victory with a brilliant display of big-hitting as they were dismissed for 320 off the penultimate ball.
New Zealand needed six runs from the last over with two wickets in hand after Lou Vincent (71), Chris Cairns (60) and Brendon McCullum (48) piled on the runs, but two run outs gave the Australians victory.
Clarke dismissed McCullum with a direct hit from point then Mick Lewis, making his debut ran out Kyle Mills for a duck.
Symonds and Clarke came together in the 22nd over with Australia in trouble at 101 for four but put the visitors in the box seat with a devastating 220-run partnership off 171 balls in 106 minutes.
They set a record for the highest partnership by an Australian pair against New Zealand and fell just three runs short of the world record for a fifth-wicket partnership.
Symonds, named Man-of-the-Match, was dropped on 14 by Cairns and made the Kiwis pay dearly with a brutal hitting.
He began cautiously, reaching his half-century off 70 balls, then his third ODI century from 109 deliveries, before suddenly unleashing himself on the New Zealand bowlers.
He raced from 100 to 150 off just 16 balls, blasting a total of 12 boundaries and eight sixes, including three in a row off Cairns, before Vettori bowled him in the final over.
Though overshadowed by Symonds, Clarke’s innings was no less important, the Test discard slamming nine fours in his 77-ball stay.
New Zealand made a bold start in reply, belting 93 from 14 overs before the wheels began to fall off when Vincent was caught behind for an adventurous 71 off 49 balls.
Nathan Astle (22), Craig McMillan (9), Hamish Marshall (10) and Scott Styris (25) all departed, leaving the home team struggling at 156 for five, before they launched another unexpected fightback.
Cairns plundered four fours and three sixes in his 52-ball knock while Jacob Oram chipped in with a brisk 41 before McCullum took up the cause.
SCOREBOARD
AUSTRALIA:
A.C. Gilchrist c Cairns b Mills 8
S.M. Katich run out 36
R.T. Ponting c McCallum b Mills 28
B.J. Hodge c H. Marshall b Cairns 0
A. Symonds b Vettori 156
M.J. Clarke not out 82
M.E.K. Hussey not out 1
EXTRAS (LB-4, W-3, NB-4) 11
TOTAL (for five wkts, 50 overs) 322
FALL OF WKTS: 1-10, 2-47, 3-50, 4-101, 5-321.
DID NOT BAT: G.B. Hogg, B. Lee, N.W. Bracken, S.R. Clark.
BOWLING: Mills 10-0-60-2 (2nb, 1w); Franklin 4-0-36-0 (2nb, 1w); Cairns 9-0-66-1; Oram 5-0-39-0; Styris 10-0-46-0 (1w); Vettori 10-0-51-1; Astle 2-0-20-0.
NEW ZEALAND:
L. Vincent c Gilchrist b Lewis 71
N.J. Astle c Clark b Lewis 22
C.D. McMillan c Hussey b Clark 9
H.J.H. Marshall lbw b Hogg 10
S.B. Styris c and b Hogg 25
C.L. Cairns c Lee b Lewis 60
J.D.P. Oram c Clark b Lee 41
B.B. McCullum run out 49
J.A.H. Marshall run out 6
D.L. Vettori not out 8
K.D. Mills run out 0
EXTRAS (LB-9, W-8, NB-2) 19
TOTAL (all out, 49.5 overs) 320
FALL OF WKTS: 1-93, 2-98, 3-109, 4-134, 5-156, 6-237, 7-271, 8-295, 9-319.
BOWLING: Lee 10-0-85-1 (3nb, 2w); Bracken 7-0-49-0; Lewis 9.5-0-56-3; Clark 10-0-50-1; Hogg 7-0-34-2 (1w); Symonds 6-0-37-0 (1w).
UMPIRES: B.F. Bowden (New Zealand) and Aleem Dar (Pakistan).
TV UMPIRE: A.L. Hill (New Zealand).
MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).
THIRD MATCH: Christchurch on Saturday.
SUBSTITUTIONS: New Zealand – J.A.H. Marshall for J.E.C. Franklin; Australia – M.L. Lewis for S.M. Katich.—Agencies
