Cricket: Ponting and Kasprowicz help Australia cruise home

Black Cap Hamish Marshall dresses up for the Twenty20 match against Australia played at Eden Park tonight. Picture / Fotopress

Australia wasted little time in stamping their class on New Zealand soil as captain Ricky Ponting and paceman Michael Kasprowicz led them to a 44-run victory in the inaugural Twenty20 cricket international here today.

Before a fizzing Eden Park crowd of 29,317, Ponting smashed an unbeaten 98 off 55 balls and paceman Kasprowicz took four wickets for 29 runs as the tourists opened their tour with a bang.

Having posted a imposing 214 for five off 20 overs, Australia dismissed the hosts for 170 off the final ball, Scott Styris keeping it interesting with 66 off 39 balls that included five fours and three sixes.

The match had a distinctly festival theme, both sides reverting to their 1980s uniforms -- the New Zealanders nearly all sporting towelling hats and excessive facial growth, and Hamish Marshall stealing the show with an outrageous afro/headband combination.

All joking aside, Australia sounded an ominous warning for Saturday's one-day series opener in Wellington as they could afford to rest class acts Matthew Hayden and Jason Gillespie today.

The run chase looked a tough ask for the men in beige from the moment Brett Lee fired down some unplayable 150km/h thunderbolts, then Kasprowicz took wickets with his first two balls.

Captain Stephen Fleming and Brendon McCullum, promoted to open after an unwell Nathan Astle was rested, posted 49 off five overs before Fleming was skittled for 18 by Kasprowicz's first ball.

Mathew Sinclair was caught first ball and quickly it was 67 for three when McCullum went for a promising 36 off 24 balls.

With Craig McMillan and Chris Cairns departing cheaply, both mistiming lofted shots, only Styris put up a fight before Lee uprooted his stumps in the 19th over.

Earlier, Ponting toyed with the New Zealand bowlers as the tourists raced along at 10.7 runs per over.

Walking to the crease at 21 for two in the second over, Ponting cracked eight fours and five sixes including 30 off one Daryl Tuffey over which was boosted by four sixes -- two straight down the ground and two over mid-wicket.

New Zealand openers Tuffey and Kyle Mills made a reasonable start, reducing Australia to 54 for four in the sixth over with dangerous openers Adam Gilchrist and Michael Clarke caught for one and seven respectively.

After Andrew Symonds smashed 32 off 13 balls, Ponting took to Jeff Wilson, including a huge six over mid-wicket as Wilson went for 43 off four overs.

Ponting and Simon Katich added 83 off 56 balls for the fifth wicket before Mike Hussey and Ponting put on an unbroken 77 off 34 balls, Hussey's 31 not out including three sixes.

Mills was the most successful bowler with three for 44 off four overs while Cairns removed Katich for 31 to end with one for 28, by far the most economical return.

* Scoreboard from the Twenty20 international cricket match between New Zealand and Australia at Eden Park here today.

Australia

A Gilchrist c McMillan b Mills 1
M Clarke c McMillan b Tuffey 7
A Symonds c McCullum b Mills 32
R Ponting not out 98
D Martyn b Mills 3
S Katich b Cairns 30
M Hussey not out 31
Extras (9lb, 3w) 12
Total (for 5 wkts, 20 overs) 214
Fall: 10 (Clarke), 21 (Gilchrist), 46 (Symonds), 54 (Martyn), 137 (Katich).

Bowling: D Tuffey 4-0-50-1 (1w), K Mills 4-0-44-3 (2w), C Cairns 4-0-28-1, J Wilson 4-0-43-0, A Adams 4-0-40-0.

New Zealand

B McCullum c Ponting b Kasprowicz 36
S Fleming b Kasprowicz 18
M Sinclair c Katich b Kasprowicz 0
S Styris b Lee 66
C McMillan c Hussey b Hopes 9
C Cairns c McGrath b Kasprowicz 1
H Marshall b Symonds 8
A Adams run out 7
J Wilson b McGrath 18
K Mills c Kasprowicz b McGrath 0
D Tuffey not out 5
Extras (2w) 2
Total (20 overs) 170
Fall: 49 (Fleming), 49 (Sinclair), 67 (McCullum), 93 (McMillan), 95 (Cairns), 105 (Marshall), 121 (Adams), 161 (Styris), 165 (Wilson), 170 (Mills).

Bowling: B Lee 4-0-26-1 (1w), G McGrath 4-0-48-2, M Kasprowicz 4-0-29-4 (1w), J Hopes 3-0-23-1, A Symonds 3-0-33-1, M Clarke 2-0-11-0.

Result: Australia won by 44 runs.

- NZPA