Australia clinch Chappell-Hadlee series

Australia took an unbeatable 3-1 series lead after a convincing victory in the fourth ODI at Auckland with Ricky Ponting leading the way.

Ricky Ponting won the toss and decided to make first use of the conditions with the ball. The plan seemed to have backfired as New Zealand raced away to 65 for one in the Quick start period, with Brendon McCullum firing on all cylinders. After a 63 run opening stand with Martin Guptill, McCullum added 57 for the second wicket with Ross Taylor which put New Zealand in a very strong position at the 20 over mark. But Australia came back strongly after picking up Taylor’s wicket. The hosts started to lose wickets in a hurry as Australian bowlers better their Bowling Efficiency. New Zealand found themselves in a tight spot after being reduced to 154 for six after 31 overs. A good effort down the order from Gareth Hopkins and Daryl Tuffey helped then get to a respectable total of 238 before being bowled out in just the 45th over.

A rain delay before resumption of play caused the match to be reduced by 16 overs and Australia were to chase a revised target of 200 in 34 overs. Despite losing Brad Haddin in the very first over, Australia were determined to maintain an aggressive approach in their run chase. Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting dominated the Kiwi bowlers in the First Power Play and went on to share an 82-run stand for the second wicket. New Zealand got back into the contest with the wickets of Ponting and Watson at the 15 over mark as reflected on the Castrol Index worm. But Cameron White looked dangerous once again as he dispatched the bowlers to all parts of the ground. He shared a 65-run partnership with Adam Voges for the fourth wicket before adding another 52 runs with Michael Hussey to take Australia home in just 31.1 overs.

Cameron White was adjudged Man of the Match for scoring a crucial half century in the Australian run-chase.