NZ 200-9 (50 overs)
Aust 206-4 (45.2 overs)
Win to Australia by 6 wickets
Australia claimed their second successive Champions Trophy title this morning, beating New Zealand by six wickets in the final at SuperSport Park in Centurion, South Africa.
Australia had a huge fight on their hands at six for two against some inspired Kiwi bowling, but Shane Watson again kept a cool
head with his second successive unbeaten century to steer Australia (206 for four) side past New Zealand's 200 for nine.
Watson (105 not out) hit successive sixes off spinner Jeetan Patel to score the winning runs - with 28 balls remaining - and reach three figures in style.
After Australia's early wickets, Watson and Cameron White (62) restored order with a partnership of 128, and despite wickets to Kyle Mills (3-27), the world champions were never in trouble.
Australia's victory created history, as they are now the only nation to have won this event twice, following their triumph in India three years ago.
Their win also earned a major windfall, as the team pocketed US$2 million ($2.81 million). As runner-up, New Zealand earned US$1 million.
New Zealand entered the match rank outsiders, with a view that everything needed to go right for them to topple their trans-Tasman rival.
Instead, they lost skipper Daniel Vettori to a hamstring injury an hour before the game began, and then acting skipper Brendon McCullum - the side's most destructive batsman - fell for a duck in the fourth over, to Peter Siddle.
The Black Caps' innings never really took off, as they regularly lost wickets.
Siddle bowled superbly and had figures of 1-18 from nine overs while battling illness towards the end of his last spell, until his last over cost 12 runs.
Offspinner Nathan Hauritz also had a great game with the ball, as his 10 overs yielded good control and 3-37.
But Australia also experienced an injury setback, as young batsman Callum Ferguson wrenched his right knee in the field and was assisted from the field.
Ferguson was not needed to bat, as allrounder James Hopes went in ahead of him at No 6 and finished on 22 not out.
New Zealand started brilliantly with the ball, as Shane Bond removed Tim Paine (one) in the second over and Mills had Ricky Ponting (one) plumb in the next.
But Watson and White weathered the storm patiently - Australia were 19 for two after 11 overs - and had wrestled back control when Watson hit sixes in successive overs just after their partnership passed 50.
Watson played a mature hand when White departed with 67 runs still needed, and his fourth career ton followed his unbeaten 136 in the semi-final against England last Friday.
Watson ended the tournament the competition's second-highest run scorer (265), behind only Ponting's 288, which was a remarkable achievement given he began the series with successive ducks.
The Black Caps now have around a month off before they head to the United Arab Emirates for a series of three ODIs and two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan, beginning on November 3.
Australia's players will now head home for a short break before they depart for India, where they will play seven one-dayers against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's side.
SCOREBOARD
New Zealand
Brendon McCullum c Paine b Siddle 0
Aaron Redmond st. Paine b Hauritz 26
Martin Guptill c & b Hauritz 40
Ross Taylor c Hussey b Johnson 6
Grant Elliott lbw b Lee 9
Neil Broom run out (Hussey) 37
James Franklin b Lee 33
Kyle Mills run out (Ponting) 12
Ian Butler lbw b Hauritz 6
Jeetan Patel not out 16
Shane Bond not out 3
Extras (1b, 2lb, 9w): 12
TOTAL (for 9 wickets): 200
Overs: 50.
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-66, 3-77, 4-81, 5-94, 6-159, 7-166, 8-174, 9-187.
Bowling: Brett Lee 10-1-45-2 (5w), Peter Siddle 10-1-30-1, Mitchell Johnson 10-1-35-1 (1w), Shane Watson 10-0-50-0 (2w), Nathan Hauritz 10-0-37-3 (1w).
Australia
Shane Watson not out 105
Tim Paine c Taylor b Bond 1
Ricky Ponting lbw b Mills 1
Cameron White b Mills 62
Michael Hussey c Patel b Mills 11
James Hopes not out 22
Extras (3lb, 1w): 4
TOTAL (for 4 wickets) 206
Overs: 45.2.
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-6, 3-134, 4-156.
Bowling: Kyle Mills 10-2-27-3, Shane Bond 10-2-34-1 (1w), Ian Butler 9-0-50-0, James Franklin 9-0-42-0, Jeetan Patel 6.2-0-44-0, Grant Elliott 1-0-6-0.
Result: Australia won by 6 wickets.
Toss: New Zealand.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Pakistan and Ian Gould, England.
TV umpire: Asad Rauf, Pakistan.
Match referee: Roshan Mahanama, Sri Lanka.
- AAP
