Cricket: Thrilling win has Black Caps walking tall

Brendon McCullum finished one run short of Chris Gayle’s Twenty20 international record score of 117. Photo / Getty Images

Amazing what a pulsating, record-breaking Twenty20 victory will do for a cricket team's confidence.

New Zealand fly to Napier today for the five-match Chappell-Hadlee Trophy ODI series with a spring in their collective steps, after they pipped Australia in cricket's equivalent of extra time at a heaving AMI Stadium.

Before 26,148 screaming fans, both teams posted 214 before a cool-headed Tim Southee restricted Australia to six runs from their `super over', and Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill got New Zealand home off Shaun Tait's fourth legitimate delivery.

McCullum was man-of-the-match for his unbeaten 116 off 56 balls, including 12 fours and eight sixes as he twice took on speedster Tait with fearless lap shots for six.

He was one short of West Indian Chris Gayle's international record score of 117 against South Africa as New Zealand topped 200 for the first time, and posted the highest total against Australia.

After a deflating six-wicket defeat on Friday in Wellington, captain Daniel Vettori's team eye Napier on Wednesday believing they can replicate last summer's ODI series in Australia which ended in a rain-dampened 2-2 draw.

"The guys will be feeling good about themselves, particularly Brendon at the top of the order. He's the guy who ignites us and if he continues that form it'll be great," Vettori told Sky Sports.

"If you put the result aside it was an amazing game of cricket, and one of the most amazing crowds I've ever played in front of."

New Zealand will take in a similar side, with Scott Styris coming in, while world No 1 Australia gain captain Ricky Ponting and paceman Doug Bollinger, and lose Twenty20 specialists Tait and David Warner.

While McCullum was brilliant, 21-year-old Southee was getting plenty of plaudits as he came of age as a `death' bowler and was preferred to Shane Bond for the final over.

With Michael Clarke (67 off 45) and Cameron White (64 not out off 26) in full flight, Southee conceded just 23 off his final three overs - including the `super over' - which was outstanding on the postage stamp oval. At the other end, Jacob Oram's final six deliveries went for 18.

"Tim was coming off something like 11 out of 12 in the blockhole and that's amazing for Twenty20 cricket for the pressure he was under, so we backed him to do it again," Vettori said.

"He's done it all through the HRV Cup. That eliminator over was one of the best overs you could hope for. Anyone who can do that under that pressure shows they're a pretty strong character."

As McCullum collected the man-of-the-match gong, he acknowledged Southee's performance as "the winning of the game".

Australian skipper Clarke was gracious in defeat, saying they backed themselves to chase down New Zealand's total.

"Brendon played an unbelievable innings, and it was too good on the night. We got so close and Cameron White did an amazing job for us," Clarke said.

"You don't play too many games like that in your career, in any form of the game."

Highest individual innings in Twenty20 internationals

117 - Chris Gayle, West Indies v South Africa, Johannesburg, 2007-08
116* - Brendon McCullum v Australia, Christchurch, 2009-10
98* - Ricky Ponting, Australia v New Zealand, Auckland, 2004-05
96* - Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lanka v West Indies, The Oval, 2009
96 - Damien Martyn, Australia v Sri Lanka, Brisbane, 2005-06
94 - Loots Bosman, South Africa v England, Centurion, 2009-10
90* - Herschelle Gibbs, South Africa v West Indies, Johannesburg, 2007-08

(* - denotes not out)

Highest NZ totals in Twenty20 internationals

214-6 v Australia, Christchurch, 2009-10
198-5 v Ireland, Nottingham, 2009
191-9 v West Indies, Hamilton, 2008-09
190 v India, Johannesburg, 2007-08

- NZPA