COLOMBO, Sept 15: New Zealand slumped to their heaviest One-day International defeat by Australia when they were crushed by 164 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy Sunday.

Chasing 297 for victory, Stephen Fleming’s side collapsed to 132 all out in just 26.2 overs as fast bowler Glenn McGrath picked up five for 37, including his 250th wicket in One-day Internationals.

The loss almost certainly spells an end to the defence of the title New Zealand won in Nairobi in October 2000.

It also marks a swift reversal in fortune after they beat Australia in three of the four One-day Internationals played between the countries in the triangular tournament earlier this year in Australia.

Only a last-wicket stand of 50 between Kyle Mills and Shane Bond spared Fleming’s team from their worst-ever beating, a 174-run loss to India at Hyderabad in 1999. But it still eclipsed the previous worst loss against Australia, a 150-run defeat in Christchurch in 1990.

With Bangladesh the other side in pool one, the victory also looks likely to mean Australia will progress past the first stage of the competition for the first time in three attempts.

The star of the show for Australia was undoubtedly McGrath.

The tall fast bowler became the tenth bowler and the second Australian after Shane Warne to reach the 250-wicket mark, doing so in his 161st match when he bowled Jacob Oram. Oram had his off-stump knocked back as he offered no shot.

McGrath found himself on a hat trick when he removed Fleming (12) and Lou Vincent in successive balls, the New Zealand captain lbw to a ball of full length and Vincent caught at second slip as he pushed forward.

He also had Scott Styris and Mathew Sinclair caught behind by Adam Gilchrist to claim the fifth five-wicket haul of his career and his best figures in One-day Internationals against New Zealand.

With Jason Gillespie taking one for 29 from seven overs, New Zealand had been reduced to 51 for six by the 13th over and it was then just a question of time before the end came.

Earlier, all the Australian top-order had contributed as Ponting’s men made 296 for seven from their 50 overs after he won the toss on another humid day.

Adam Gilchrist (44) and Matthew Hayden (43) got the side off to a flying start by adding 68 inside 10 overs and there were other useful contributions from Ponting himself (37) and Darren Lehmann (35), while Damien Martyn top-scored with 73.

At one stage Australia looked certain to reach 300, but an excellent spell from Daniel Vettori, who took one for 25 with his left-arm spin, helped peg the total back.

New Zealand also did themselves no favours as they grassed three catches. Two of them, off Ponting and Hayden cost little, but Fleming dropped Martyn on two, an error which they paid for.

With New Zealand reduced to 82 for nine in replay, Australia could even afford to drop Shane Bond twice but it simply delayed the inevitable, which came when Shane Warne was introduced into the attack.