AUSTRALIA executed a perfectly-paced chase to brush aside New Zealand by seven wickets in their warm-up match at The Oval.

Ponting led the way with a brisk half-century and received support from his deputy Michael Clarke who remained unbeaten to ensure victory was achieved in the final over.

There was good news on the bowling front too with Mitchell Johnson taking 4 for 20 while Brett Lee bowled with hostility and took one for 9 off 3.5 overs.

Their new-ball partnership left New Zealand’s top-order in shreds at 21 for 5 and it needed a feisty recovery from Scott Styris and Peter McGlashan, who was playing Australia for the first time, to set a respectable target.

Australia made a near-perfect start, with Lee and Johnson snaring the New Zealand openers in consecutive overs. There were an astonishing number of dot balls as both bowlers passed the bat with regularity.

The New Zealand batsmen’s efforts to break free failed – Martin Guptill holed out after striking one boundary, as did Ross Taylor after hitting three fours in a row. Jacob Oram’s dismissal – run-out without facing a ball – hurt New Zealand further but they recovered to 147 thanks to the depth of their batting line-up.

Australia also bat deep – Lee is slotted at No. 10 – but their lower order wasn’t tested on the day. They too suffered a minor hiccup at the start, losing both Shane Watson and David Warner within the space of five balls to James Franklin, but Ponting and Clarke prevented any further damage.

They planned the chase masterfully, picking up singles and twos with regularity, chipping away at the asking-rate and then reducing it dramatically with the odd boundary.

Tim Neilsen was pleased with his team’s effort and said that they were improving with every game. One concern of his was the large number of expensive overs that helped New Zealand recover although he expected Lee and Johnson to improve as they got more overs under their belt.

He said that Australia were closing in on the ideal combination for the main tournament and he was confident the team had enough game-breakers to take them through the group of death. (Cricinfo)