Cricket: Australia cruise home to retain trophy

Australia win the Chappell-Hadlee series 3-1 with a six wicket victory over the Black Caps at Eden Park. Photo / Getty Images

The Chappell-Hadlee Trophy will remain locked at Cricket Australia's Melbourne headquarters for another year after New Zealand were sunk by another dud batting effort in the fourth one-day international tonight.

Australia won by six wickets with 17 balls to spare at Eden Park to take an unassailable 3-1 series lead with the final match in Wellington on Saturday.

Led by an unbeaten 50 from Cameron White and a blistering 50 off 35 balls from skipper Ricky Ponting, Australia were always on track after being set a rain-reduced Duckworth-Lewis target of 200 off 34 overs.

New Zealand opened the door wide for their visitors when they folded for 238 off 44.1 overs, having lasted only 46.2 overs batting first in Tuesday's six-wicket defeat in Hamilton.

Australia would have had good reason to whinge had they not got home.

Under the vagaries of the Duckworth-Lewis method, a 90-minute rain delay saw an original target of 239 off 50 overs somehow become 206 off 36.

A further shower saw the target tweaked again to 200 off 34, leaving Australia requiring a challenging 5.88 per over and at least giving the hosts a sniff.

The 11,265-strong crowd roared on Shane Bond and he obliged third ball by nicking out Tuesday's centurion Brad Haddin for nought.

Ponting, who'd won his fourth consecutive toss and sent New Zealand in, attacked and rode his luck.

He French cut Bond past off stump for four then had a miracle escape on 19 when Daryl Tuffey trapped leg before wicket but umpire Asad Rauf disagreed, despite replays showing the delivery splitting middle stump.

Ponting and Shane Watson plundered 82 off 11.5 overs before Daniel Vettori's spin wizardry gave New Zealand hope in a probing spell.

He removed Watson for 32 off 41 balls and Ponting for 50 off 35, leg before wicket decisions in consecutive overs to make it 85 for three.

But White and Adam Voges, who made 34 off 36, ticked along despite Vettori's efforts and when master finisher Michael Hussey, who finished on 28 not out, arrived they needed 50 off 50.

Earlier, it all seemed to be going to plan for New Zealand after their brains trust made the tough calls, axing Peter Ingram and Neil Broom and shuffling up their big guns into what appeared their ideal spots.

But from 120 for one, New Zealand collapsed to 238, criminally with 35 balls remaining.

Only a late flurry from Tuffey, who made 34 off 17 balls and clouted spinner Nathan Hauritz for three consecutive sixes, saved New Zealand from total embarrassment.

A middle order collapse of five for 34 in 66 balls, including the big wickets of topscorer Brendon McCullum for 61, Ross Taylor for 15, Scott Styris for eight and Vettori for 12, stymied any hopes New Zealand had of posting a par total of about 300.

After a swaggering McCullum and Martin Guptill cracked 63 off 7.4 overs, the familiar problem returned of soft dismissals and regular wickets, despite a healthy run rate.

McCullum was in control before he chipped Hauritz to mid-wicket, ending a promising 75-ball knock which featured three fours and four sixes.

Remarkably on the postage stamp ground, with one boundary measured at just 51m, New Zealand went 22 overs without finding the fence between the 18th and 40th.

Debutant Shanan Stewart looked jittery, and on four charged at Hauritz and offered a simple catch to long-on.

Tuffey arrived at 177 for seven and ruined Hauritz's figures by taking 22 off the 41st over, but New Zealand only used 3.1 overs of their power play before the innings folded.

Hauritz ended with three for 46 off eight while speedster Mitchell Johnson removed Vettori and Bond to give him nine wickets from the past three matches at an average of 14.67.

- NZPA