KEY POINTS:
ADELAIDE- A Ross Taylor onslaught revived a stuttering New Zealand innings as they set Australia 245 to try and send the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy one-day cricket series to a decider in Brisbane.
The tourists, up 2-1 in the series, never looked like they had enough runs on an excellent Adelaide Oval surface until the in-form Taylor whacked 76 off 71 balls to lift the total to 244 for eight.
The general consensus among former internationals at the ground rated 270 as a par score batting first.
Taylor arrived at 83 for two in the 22nd over and departed when he skied a catch at 226 for seven in the 48th, having plundered 53 off 37 balls with Kyle Mills during the powerplay overs late in the innings.
He whacked six fours and two sixes in his 10th ODI half-century as New Zealand took 81 off the last 10 overs.
For Taylor it continued a memorable 2009 with the bat in ODI cricket, having scored 378 runs against West Indies and Australia at an average of 63.
New Zealand needed a batting saviour after the top-six perished largely to poor shot selection against an accurate Australian attack bidding to keep the series alive.
Allrounder James Hopes was the best of them, taking two for 37 off 10 overs while left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson snared three for 51.
It was a surprising change of tack for New Zealand - who chased runs in the first three matches - when Vettori decided to make first use of what appeared an excellent batting strip.
They received a pre-match boost when wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum was cleared to play despite a painful shoulder injury.
After New Zealand made a solid start with openers McCullum and Martin Guptill adding 69, they lost three for 17 including McCullum for a patient 33.
Guptill took most of the strike and reached 45 off 70 balls, including a big six over long-on from Nathan Bracken's bowling, before he was caught on the fine leg boundary hooking Johnson.
It was easily New Zealand's best opening partnership of the series to date, 69 off 17.5 overs.
No 3 Peter Fulton faced just 10 balls for five before he tried to lift the scoring rate and skied a catch to mid-on, off Hopes.
McCullum was only declared in the side just before the toss after a fitness test, having indicated he was keen to play. X-ray results today didn't reveal any serious damage from the painful blow he took from a Mills delivery in Sydney.
He looked hampered by the injury and didn't hit a boundary in his 55-ball knock before his frustration showed when he charged spinner Michael Clarke and was bowled through the gate, making it 86 for three.
New Zealand's man-of-the-moment Grant Elliott, fresh from his excellent 115 in a losing cause in Sydney, hit the ground running to add 55 with Taylor.
Just as he looked set for a third consecutive 50-plus score, he played a tentative hook shot on 26 at Johnson and was caught by a diving David Hussey at deep square leg.
Batsman Craig Cumming was recalled for spinner Jeetan Patel for his first ODI in nearly four years, and he lasted just six balls without scoring before spooning a catch to mid-off.
When Neil Broom was beaten for pace by Ben Hilfenhaus on 11, it was 173 for six in the 42nd.
- NZPA
