AUSTRALIA wrapped up the Chappell-Hadlee series against New Zealand with a game still to play thanks to a comfortable six-wicket win under the Duckworth-Lewis method in Auckland.
After being put in to bat by Australia captain Ricky Ponting, a re-jigged New Zealand line-up struggled to a below-par total of 238 as they were bowled out in just 44.1 overs.
But with rain delaying the start of the Australians’ run-chase they were set a revised target of 200 in 34 overs and when play finally resumed and the tourists reached it with 17 balls to spare to take an unassailable 3-1 series lead.
Not even the early loss of Hamilton century-maker Brad Haddin for a first-ball duck could knock the visitors off their stride as Ponting and Shane Watson added 82 runs for the second wicket.
Ponting was however lucky not to go in Daryl Tuffey’s first over when the medium-pacer had him plumb leg-before-wicket but Asad Rauf inexplicably turned down the appeal.
The pair launched a blistering attack on Tim Southee (none for 55 off 5.1 overs) and Tuffey (none for 38 off five) in the overs immediately following taking 39 runs off just 18 deliveries.
That prompted Daniel Vettori (two for 29 off seven) to bring himself into the attack and it proved to be a masterstroke as the New Zealand skipper got Watson (32) and Ponting (50) lbw in successive overs to leave the visitors at 85 for three.
Cameron White (50 not out) and Adam Voges (34) then put on a stand of 65 to get Australia to within 50 runs of victory before White, whose excellent form in the series shows no sign of fading, and Michael Hussey (28 not) combined to get their side across the line.
Not even the axing of Peter Ingram and Neil Broom, the return of James Franklin and Tuffey from calf and hamstring injuries respectively, the introduction of new boy Shannon Stewart and the re-jigging of the New Zealand batting order could stop the rot for the home side.
Aside from 61 from Brendon McCullum, 30 from Martin Guptill, who moved up the order to open, and a quick-fire 34 off 17 balls from Tuffey at the death the New Zealanders barely fired a shot as they slumped from 120 for one to be all out for 238.
Ross Taylor (15), Stewart (four), and the promoted Scott Styris (eight) and Daniel Vettori (12) all fell cheaply.
Nathan Hauritz picked up three wickets, including McCullum’s, while there were two apiece to Watson, James Hopes and Mitchell Johnson as the visitors put the brakes on the New Zealand innings – denying them a boundary for 22 overs.
When Franklin was dismissed for 10 the Black Caps were 177 for seven and a total under 200 looked on the cards.
But up stepped Tuffey, who in 87 previous one-dayers had only hit one six.
He launched three in a row off Hauritz and sent another one off Watson beyond the rope to finish with his highest one-day international score.
With Tuffey in such aggressive form the batting powerplay was taken but Watson struck immediately getting Gareth Hopkins (20) to edge one to wicketkeeper Haddin.
That marked the beginning of the end and Tuffey followed shortly afterwards when Ryan Harris took a good return catch before Johnson got Shane Bond to hit one to Hauritz at mid-wicket to wrap up the innings with 35 balls to spare.

NEW ZEALAND innings
B. McCullum c White b Hauritz    61
M. Guptill c Ponting b Watson    30
R. Taylor c Hussey b Hopes    15
S. Stewart c Watson b Hauritz    4
S. Styris c&b Hopes    8
D. Vettori lbw b Johnson    12
G. Hopkins c (wkp.) Haddin b Watson    20
J. Franklin b Hauritz    10
D. Tuffey c&b Harris    34
S. Bond c Hauritz b Johnson    19
T. Southee not out    1                       
Extras: (lb-9, w-13, nb-2)    24
Total (all out; 44.1 overs )    238
Fall of wickets: 1-63, 2-120, 3-128, 4-130, 5-152, 6-154, 7-177, 8-213, 9-236.
Bowling: R. Harris 7-1-37-1(w-1), D. Bollinger 5-0-34-0 (nb-2), M. Johnson 8.1-0-40-2 (w-4), S. Watson 6-1-34-2, J. Hopes 10-0-38-2 (w-2), N. Hauritz 8-0-46-3.

AUSTRALIA innings
S. Watson lbw b Vettori    32
B. Haddin c Styris b Bond    0
R. Ponting lbw b Vettori    50
C. White not out    50
A. Voges c Vettori b Franklin    34
M. Hussey not out    28
Extras: (lb-6, w-2)    8
Total: (4 wickets, 31.1 overs)    202
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-84, 3-85, 4-150.
Bowling: S. Bond 6-0-28-1 (w-1), T. Southee 5.1-0-55-0, D. Tuffey 5-0-38-0 (w-1), D. Vettori 7-1-29-2, S. Styris 5-0-20-0, J. Franklin 3-0-26-0.