New Zealand chase down record to win

New Zealand has successfully chased a world record target to defeat Australia by two wickets, in the third and final match of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy Series, at Jade Stadium in Christchurch today.

Scott Styris defied the bowlers for a heroic century, and claim man of the match honours. Mike Hussey was another in contention for the award following his unbeaten 88 (off 56 balls) for Australia.

The Black Caps kept pace with the required rate in pursuit of the 332-run target for most of the innings. Rain threatened to end the contest after 42 overs, and the loss of Styris and Jacob Oram in three balls saw the D/L method par score escalate towards 300.

The final seven overs of the game proved to be the shining light of glory for New Zealand with the ninth-wicket partnership between Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori providing 74 runs off a lacklustre and inexperienced bowling attack.

With the series result confirmed, the Australians entered the match eager for another clean sweep over their closest rivals. The Black Caps, however, were playing for redemption having lost 5-0 in the previous one-day series against Australia back in March.

Australia named a virtual unknown, Queenslander Mitchell Johnson, as their supersub, a surprise move considering he is not one of the 25 contracted players for Cricket Australia this season. Johnson replaced Brett Lee, who returned home on Thursday for health reasons.

New Zealand named regular captain Stephen Fleming, on return from his own health scare, as their supersub. Daniel Vettori retained the captaincy for the final match of the series, he won the toss and elected to bowl first.

Captain Ricky Ponting and Brad Hodge revived the innings with a 115-run stand after the openers, Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich, fell inside the first four overs. Jacob Oram bore the brunt of the third-wicket partnership with 38 runs taken from his first four overs.

Vettori claimed a double-wicket breakthrough in the 21st over with Ponting (75) trapped lbw and Andrew Symonds, caught at mid-off by Mills, when he attempted to continue the big hit shots he played at Wellington mid-week.

Hodge celebrated his maiden fifty, in the 27th over, while Clarke drove elegantly down the ground in the next over to notch up the Australian 150. Styris nabbed Hodge (59) when he pulled the ball only to find Mills at deep square leg. Mike Hussey joined Clarke at the crease and their tip-and-run play frustrated the Black Cap fielders.

The pace quartet or Cairns, Mills, Oram and Martin were shown no mercy in the last 10 overs by Clarke and Hussey, who both raced to their half-centuries. Australia plundered 125 runs off the final 60 balls, in scoring 7/331, with Nathan Bracken (21no) also involved in the final over onslaught.

Hussey clobbered seven fours' and five sixes' in scoring 74 runs off the last 28 balls he faced. Martin (3/65) finished the best of the bowlers, while Vettori collected two wickets and one each for Mills and Styris.

Black Caps opener Lou Vincent was fortunate to survive the first ball of the innings, while his opening partner, Stephen Fleming, nicked the ball through to keeper Gilchrist in the fourth over.

Vincent and Nathan Astle posted the Black Caps 50 after eight overs before Ponting made a change to the bowling. Stuart Clark was rewarded with the prized scalps of both batmen in his first two overs.

Johnson's international career, with the ball, began well with only five runs off his first two overs, however Styris and Hamish Marshall soon took to his bowling and found the gaps in the field with relative ease.

Styris raised his bat for fifty in the 24th over, while Marshall (27) stepped back for a cut shot, off White's bowling, only to play the ball onto his stumps.

Michael Lewis returned in the 33rd over to nab Cairns (6) caught behind with New Zealand on the verge of 200. Styris (101) soldiered on to his own century and shared a valuable seventh-wicket partnership of 63 with Oram (42), who took to Johnson before Clark (43rd over) snared both batsmen in three balls.

Clark finished the best of the Australian bowlers with 4-55 off his 10 overs, while Lewis was taken to with 1-77 off his nine overs, the game slipped away from the grasp of the visitors with 20 runs off his final over.

Australia returns home for the three-match Test Series against South Africa, which begins in Perth next Friday. New Zealand host Sri Lanka at Queenstown on December 31 in the first of four one-day internationals before Sri Lanka arrive in Australia for the tri-nation VB Series with South Africa.

Full scorecard available here.

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