100-5 - New Zealand just need to squeeze Hopes and Hussey now, and the pressure should do the rest because, particularly with the spinners, the ball isn't coming onto the bat too brilliantly. Vettori just concedes a single.
99-5 - WICKET! Nathan McCullum has his first one-day wicket, and it comes as the result of pressure and clever variation. Watson was trying to force the pace and McCullum held the ball back, and the result was a chip straight into Ross Taylor's hands at short midwicket. That brings James Hopes to the crease with Australia's chances dwindling fast. The required run rate has risen above six, and they've now got half of their batsmen back in the shed.
96-4 - Vettori returns to try and nip this partnership in the bud, because it will surely decide the outcome of this match. Watson gets an inside edge behind square on the leg side and runs hard to pick up two, then nudges the final delivery to long-on for a single to keep the strike.
93-4 - Back-to-back boundaries for Hussey, the second of which was a much better stroke than the first. He started with a real hoick to cow corner which was saved by an inside edge, but he followed that up with a classy late cut through the gap at backward point.
85-4 - Southee has a huge shouw for lbw against Hussey, but Rauf shakes his head because the ball pitched outside the line of leg stump. Another wicket now would surely prove fatal for Australia's hopes.
84-4 - Watson clips through a gap at midwicket to bring up his half-century (69 balls, 4x4s). He's had to vary the pace at which he's scored according to the loss of wickets, but he's done well to keep the Australian innings afloat throughout and will benefit from having Hussey's experience at the other end.
80-4 - Watson clips a straight delivery to the leg side for a couple and then hands the strike to Hussey, but the left-hander gets bogged down by the accurate Southee, who's bowled well so far today.
76-4 - Watson is joined at the wicket by Mike Hussey, and the duo work through four singles as they begin their attempts to stabilise the innings.
72-4 - The bowlers are getting shuffled around here, as Southee returns having changed ends - presumably because McCullum wanted the other end. Watson slashes a wider one away behind point for a couple of runs and then drives out to the sweeper on the off side for a single. WICKET! Voges is caught behind, although this is another sketchy decision. This time it comes from Asad Rauf, who has heard something the stump microphone hasn't or has just been swayed by how assured Hopkins was with his appeal. Either way, Voges has to go after scratching his head.
69-3 - Nathan McCullum's off spin is introduced, and he starts rather nicely. Voges gets tied down for three dot balls, so just three singles come from the over.
66-3 - The pressure's on Australia here, because the required rate is just beginning to rise to noticeable levels. It started at 4.84 when the innings began, but has crept up to 5.5 after the last little period.
62-3 - Watson looks to be cranking things up a notch, as he picks up an ever-so-slightly-short delivery and smears it through the gap between mid-on and midwicket for four. Time for drinks.
56-3 - Vettori knows he needs to save some of his overs, so he replaces himself with Tuffey. Watson pushes at the third delivery but does so hard enough to hit the ball just over Tuffey's head for four, before the bowler has an ambitious lbw shout turned down. He's getting the ball to nip in quite fiercely, and that fact allied with the height worked against him there, although Hawk-Eye had that hitting the top of middle and leg.
49-3 - Watson punches a straighter ball through midwicket for a couple, but is clearly in a more conservative mood now. However his heart is in his mouth as he misreads the length and drives just short of Brendon McCullum at short cover.
46-3 - This is a huge test of Adam Voges' capabilities under pressure, and he starts off by playing out a maiden.
46-3 - Tim Southee replaces Bond, and how he backs the frontliners up will be crucial tonight. New Zealand are in a game for a change, but could easily let it slip with a loose spell. WICKET! A really good battle with White ends with the batsman falling. He'd hit beautifully through the line to get four back over Southee's head earlier in the over, before Southee bounced back to beat him outside off. White decides to go after the final delivery, but hits it high in the air as he swings across the line and the ball falls in Vettori's hands at wide mid-off. New Zealand right on top now.
42-2 - Vettori's varying his pace quite beautifully, and White very nearly serves up a return catch as he misreads him before checking his shot in the nick of time. White finally gets one to long-off for a single to get off the mark with his 14th delivery, and he hammers the final ball out to deep cover for a second single.
38-2 - Bond continues as the Black Caps search for that wicket that would put them right on top. Watson guides the first ball down to third man for a single, and again White can't get off the mark as he blocks out the rest of the over.
37-2 - Watson scampers a single after dropping one into the legside, and then Vettori uses all his craft to frustrate White for the remainder of the over. Game on for the moment, although New Zealand need another wicket in the next five overs to stay in it I reckon because these two batsmen are in superb form.
36-2 - The short ball served him well in the last over so Bond tries it with Watson, but gets muscled through midwicket for four as the right-hander pulls away.
31-2 - With New Zealand threatening to snatch the upper hand, Vettori brings himself on to try and stifle Watson. The batsman drives to long-on for a couple but then gets a bit tied down before handing the strike to Cameron White - who survived the hat-trick ball in the last over - for the final delivery. The crowd are right behind New Zealand now.
27-2 - WICKET! A steward nearly does his ankle as he fetches a rogue balloon off the field, and the next ball Haddin falls. Bond dug one in and Haddin went after it, but it was too quick for him so the ball hit high on the bat and looped to Southee at backward square leg. WICKET! Ricky Ponting's gone first ball, but it's an awful decision from Gary Baxter! Again it was short from Bond, but Ponting pulled out at the last moment and was clipped on the helmet as the ball went through to Hopkins behind the wicket. Everyone behind the stumps went up and Baxter waited a while before giving him out. That clearly missed glove and bat and Ponting stood for an age looking back down the pitch. The Kiwis might feel that's karma after Ponting was somehow not given out when he was plumb lbw in the last game, but I doubt Ponting will agree.
27-0 - Haddin concentrates on power rather than finesse as he wallops four more down the ground. That was possible because the ball was overpitched, but the rest of the over is tricky because Tuffey is getting the ball to cut into the right-handers quite prodigiously. Nevetherless Australia are keeping up with the required rate without really trying.
22-0 - Both batsmen grab singles to third man, and then Watson guides one wide enough of the same fielder to come back for a second. Relatively quiet start by the Aussies, but they only need to bat steadily to achieve this total.
18-0 - After three dot balls, Haddin waltzes down the pitch and lathers the ball back over Tuffey's head for four, hitting it close enough to the bowler for him to, just for a moment, fear for his life. Haddin enjoyed it so much he tries it again off the next ball, but this time he fluffs it straight to mid-on.
13-0 - Haddin drives nicely through the covers and is somehow denied a boundary by Vettori's last-ditch attempt. The third umpire had to have a few looks at that to see if the Kiwis skipper had touched the rope, but as there's no proof that he did he lets the umpire know that it's three runs rather than four. Bond beats Haddin later in the over, but is driven crisply down the ground for four off the very next ball. No doubts about whether that one's gone to the boundary.
5-0 - Lucky break for Watson, who very nearly chops onto his stumps as he tries to guide a very straight delivery down to third man. That nipped into him as well, so Tuffey was unfortunate not to pick up a wicket and instead concede a boundary.
1-0 - Shane Watson guides a single down to third man, and them Brad Haddin gets in behind a couple of good deliveries as Bond starts with a tidy over.
Australia need 242 runs to win at 4.84 per over. Shane Bond will get proceedings back underway.
Well at least they batted out their 50. Just. This doesn't look like it's as good a pitch as previous matches, but it's a bit difficult to tell because very few of the New Zealand wickets could be blamed on anything but silly shots. They're probably about 30 runs short of a good total as a result of poor decisions from the top order, but they do have something to bowl at so stick around for the chase.
241-9 - WICKET! No boundaries from the final over, but there are a couple of twos off Tuffey's blade - to third man and wide long-off - before the big man perishes off the final ball of the innings. Naturally he went for the big shot, but fell well short of the midwicket boundary and Ponting got under it to take the catch. That was still a very handy knock from Tuffey, who finished with 36.
235-8 - Bond finally makes contact with a couple of deliveries, getting a single to square leg and then whacking two deliveries straight down the ground for two runs apiece. The last two shots ensure that the hosts get seven from the penultimate over.
228-8 - Tuffey picks the slower ball, waits for it... and deposits it over cow corner for six! It was on the short side and he only got the toe-end of the bat, but Tuffey's so strong it still sailed over the fielder's head as he waited on the rope. A drive to wide long-off brings a couple before a single puts Bond on strike. He has two huge swipes at shorter balls, but the only connectiopn is ball with helmet as it kisses the protector on its way through to the keeper. That's the end of the batting powerplay, which brought 27 runs.
219-8 - Johnson concedes a mere single from his final over to finish with figures of two for 42. Tuffey took a quick single to the offside, and Bond looked utterly hopeless in seeing out the rest of the over.
218-8 - Tuffey drives wide of long-off for a couple, then hands the strike to new batsman Shane Bond with a single to square leg. McKay decides the short ball is the main weapon against Bond, and that turns out to be correct as four dot balls result from short bowling.
215-8 - WICKET! Just as the Kiwis threatened to get really stuck in, Johnson bowls a brilliant over which results in McCullum's downfall. The key was the length, which was a bit shorter than McCullum expected as he tried to turn it to the onside, only to get a leading edge which looped up for Johnson to run back and take the catch. Tuffey takes a single from the final ball to keep strike.
213-7 - New Zealand take the batting powerplay, and Tuffey creams the first ball that he faces from McKay wide of long-off for four. He's a powerful guy and there was a strong connection there, so the ball disappeared to the boundary pretty quickly. McCullum then gets in on the act as he charges the final delivery and smashes it over extra cover. He hits it so well that it lands inches short of the rope despite never getting much higher than 12 or 15 feet.
201-7 - Johnson continues and beats McCullum outside off stump. A wide down leg and a couple to third man bring up New Zealand's 200, and then McCullum tucks the final ball to the legside to keep strike for the next over.
196-7 - Tuffey has his first big swing, but only partially connects to get two runs wide of deep midwicket. A couple of singles and a leg-bye keep things ticking over, and if New Zealand get six an over from here on in they'll finish with a respectable 244.
191-7 - Just the one (successful) over for Hauritz then, because Johnson returns in his place. The reason for that is probably the fact that Johnson has had so much success against Tuffey in this series - generally in having him caught at slip. Tuffey drives through the covers for a couple but is beaten by the next ball.
187-7 - Tuffey managed that sensational innings in the last match, so all eyes are on him to launch New Zealand to a defendable total here. He nearly has his head taken off as he's beaten by a bouncer which he attempts to take on, and then he offers a run-out chance as he wanders out of his crease after the final ball having completely mistimed the ball.
187-7 - WICKET! Ponting's response to this little onslaught is to take pace off the ball as he brings back Hauritz, and it works a beauty. Hopkins misjudges the pace and bounce of what originally looked like a short, wide one outside off, and as he tries to readjust he gets a little toe-end snick through to Haddin, who takes a good catch behind the stumps. Daryl Tuffey gets off the mark first ball with a drive out to deep cover, and all six of Australia's bowlers now have one wicket each to their names.
185-6 - Hopkins has launched a suprb counter-attack here, and he flays four more over point as Watson drops short to allow the batsman to free his arms. The final delivery is worked into a gap at midwicket and quick running brings two. The Kiwis could yet manage 250, which would certainly be something to bowl at - I reckon 260 or 270 is par on this pitch.
177-6 - Really entertaining over as Bollinger steams in and finds the batsmen in counter-attacking moods. McCullum takes on a quick bouncer which is too fast for him, but gets lucky as an edge onto the helmet loops wide of square leg. Hopkins then hammers a drive back at Bollinger and nearly decapitates him in the process of gaining a boundary down the ground. The wicketkeeper-batsman gets the final delivery past mid-on and picks up three as Johnson just cuts it off.
169-6 - Hopkins drives through backward point for a couple, forcing Mike Hussey to run round to his left to cut it off, then drives nicely through extra cover and gets four as Hussey runs round to his right and is prevented from making a diving stop by the practice pitches. A couple of singles make it eight for the over, and New Zealand must surely think of taking the batting powerplay while they still have some batsmen.
161-6 - Bollinger is tearing in now with the newer ball sensing some quick wickets, but McCullum and Hopkins keep him out after the former is beaten by an absolute corker off the first ball of the over.
157-6 - Australia think they have another one as Hopkins goes on the pull and the ball catches his forearm and loops up before Haddin dives to take it, but the umpire rightly isn't interested. Hopkins drives out to the sweeper on the cover fence, and Nathan McCullum gets off the mark with a single to square leg.
155-6 - WICKET! It must be contagious, because now Vettori plays an irresponsible shot. With his side struggling to bat 50 overs, the usually-responsible Vettori steps to leg to try and thrash the ball through the offside and is bowled by Bollinger. The bowler did well to just hold his line there and as a result off stump was knocked back.
154-5 - WICKET! Once again, just as New Zealand look to have drawn themselves back into contention they lose a wicket. And once again it's a poor stroke. This time Styris got caught in two minds, with his primary instinct to whip a delivery to the legside. But it was too far outside off for that and all he got was an inside edge onto his stumps as the ball seamed in a touch. Gareth Hopkins is the new batsman, and after a nervy few deliveries he's off the mark with a quick, dangerous single to point.
152-4 - Styris goes to fifty (60 balls, 2x4s, 1x6) in real style, slapping down the ground for two and then launching the next one into the stands at wide midwicket. He absolutely hammered that and it landed many rows back to bring up a really well played half-century - a very sensible innings. Hauritz then oversteps and Vettori turns down the single so Styris can take the free hit, but he misses with a big swipe so the opportunity is missed.
143-4 - No boundary attempts in this over as Styris and Vettori content themselves with singles. They've kept the scoreboard ticking over pretty well, and a run rate of 4.76 is not too shabby. They just need to stick around another 10 overs so they can launch in the final 10.
139-4 - Hauritz returns to replace Johnson after a two-over burst from the left-armer, and his second ball is worked away nice and fine for a couple of runs by Styris. That brings up the fifty partnership between these two in 55 balls. They're working the singles pretty well now and there's a bit of gathering momentum here.
132-4 - The batsmen clearly fancy their chances against Hopes, who has mid-on up in the ring. Styris tried to clear the man in Hopes' last over, and this time he stands still and executes the shot perfectly to get four. A single off all the other deliveries in the over ensures it's a productive one.
123-4 - Two more wides add to the growing tally, which is keeping up with Vettori's contribution. The first is a short bouncer which loops too high over the left-hander's head, and the second is down leg. Four singles make it six from the over.
117-4 - James Hopes replaces Watson and starts with a wide - the 16th of the innings. Vettori whacks a single out to deep midwicket, and then Styris goes against what I said in the last over as he comes down the pitch and tries to heave Hopes over mid-on. Instead he falls just short of the fielder, but that was his first shot in anger today.
114-4 - Hauritz comes out of the attack after just four overs as Johnson returns - Ponting perhaps senses that another wicket now would knock this game dead. Vettori whips a couple of deliveries from off stump for singles on the legsise, and Styris continues to provide a rocklike innings at the other end - he hasn't given anything away so far.
110-4 - Watson digs one in but Vettori takes him on and pulls away for four through backward square leg. Styris clips away fine for a couple and two singles makes it a handy over for New Zealand.
102-4 - Vettori has been very keen on the sweep against Hauritz, and it nearly leads to his downfall as a premeditated sweep at a delivery outside off leads to a top edge which lands just in front of short third man. Later in the over Hauritz provides a good sweeping ball though, and Vettori gets it away behind square for four to take New Zealand past the 100 mark.
95-4 - A couple of quick singles are all the batsmen can muster in the face of some pretty stingey bowling from Watson, who's done well to stifle the Kiwis since coming on.
93-4 - Five from the over as Hauritz continues and Styrius and Vettori work the ones and twos. The run rate is currently 4.42, but New Zealand will do well to bat out their 50 overs from here.
88-4 - WICKET! Taylor falls to what Ian Smith correctly terms a "bone-headed" shot, and the commentator is absolutely distraught because once again Taylor has thrown his wicket away needlessly. It was a seemingly premeditated shot, a flat-batted hoik to the legside - the same one that got him out in Hamilton. Watson dropped it short which wasn't part of Taylor's plan, and the result is a top edge to Bollinger as he trots to his left from a sort of wide fine leg position. That was an awful time to get out because Taylor and Styris were hauling New Zealand back into this. Instead Daniel Vettori comes in at number six and very nearly chops his first ball on.
85-3 - A much better over from Hauritz, who finds a length which plants a seed of doubt in the batsmen's minds. It's enough to make sure they don't try any more big shots, and instead settle for three singles.
82-3 - Watson is doing a good job here, hitting the right spot time and again as he allows just three singles. He gets a bit excited as an inside edge from Taylor looks a bit dangerous as the right-hander uses a lot of bottom hand to try and force the pace of the ball.
79-3 - Spin for the first time as Nathan Hauritz is introduced, and New Zealand have their most productive over for some time. Styris drives the first ball out to deep point for a couple, and then a few singles later a misfield at backward point gifts Styris a boundary when he would have been lucky to get a single. Johnson was the culprit, and with that boundary and a couple more singles, New Zealand managed 10 from that over.
69-3 - Shane Watson replacfes Johnson and beats Styris outside off stump with his very first delivery. A short ball is pulled out to deep square leg for a single, before Taylor drives out to deep cover and Styris guides the final delivery down to third man. The umpires call for drinks to be brought out onto the field.
66-3 - Four relatively easy singles for New Zealand as Bollinger continues, so the hosts finish the second powerplay having taken just 22 runs from it. Crucially, though, they haven't lost another wicket. The key is that they bat out their 50 overs, which they've failed to do since the first match of the series.
62-3 - Johnson's bouncer strays down leg and adds to the wide tally, and then Johnson drops short and Taylor uses quick hands to thrash aerially it past a diving Voges at backward point. It wasn't that wide so Taylor did really well to work it away square and the ball just whistled to the boundary. A single to the legside allows Taylor to keep strike.
56-3 - Bollinger returns but oversteps and is pushed crisply through extra cover for three by Styris. That hands Taylor the free hit, meaning the field can change because he didn't face the original no-ball, and a fierce swipe fails to make contact.
51-3 - A wide outside off helps New Zealand's cause, and then a couple of booming drives bring only singles as first Taylor hits out to the man on the cover boundary, and then Styris' thrash is half-stopped by Adam Voges as he gets a hand on it at backward point. However Johnson then fires one just past Taylor's legs and Haddin fails to gather on the bounce, so another five wides take the wides tally up to 14.
43-3 - A metronomic over from McKay, who hits that spot back of a length just outside Styris' off stump and bowls a maiden over. Naturally Australia have taken the bowling powerplay with the Kiwis in all sorts of trouble.
43-3 - Scotty Styris has come in at number five, and he guides one down to third man to get off the mark. That allows Taylor to face up to Johnson, and as the left-armer overpitches Taylor pulverises a drive through the covers for four. Really laid into that and the ball flew away to the boundary. Johnson comes back over the wicket though, and beats Taylor with his final delivery.
38-3 - The pressure on the Black Caps is huge, but Taylor gets them back up and running with a couple of fine shots. The first is a glance to square leg for a couple, and then McKay drops short outside off stump and Taylor throws absolutely everything at it as he cuts away through backward point for four.
32-3 - WICKET! Mitchell Johnson joins the action, at the end of a really good over he grabs the wicket of Stewart. He'd been giving Taylor a good working over with some perfect short balls before Taylor got off strike with a quick single to the off side, and then his first ball to the rookie was full outside off and Stewart got a little tickle. Big disappointment for Stewart, because it will be a while until he gets another chance for the Black Caps.
31-2 - McKay is getting the ball to nip into Stewart, who looks a bit of an lbw candidate as he gets across his stumps. McKay gets excited on a couple of occasions but then strays a little too straight and is tickled away fine for four. Stewart then whips another one off his legs for a couple.
25-2 - Bollinger notches up the pressure some more with a really tight maiden to Taylor, who has been joined at the crease by Shanan Stewart. Big job on these two to rebuild the innings now.
25-2 - WICKET! Good breakthrough for Australia as they get the danger man McCullum. The right-hander stepped to leg to give himself room but was cleverly followed by McKay, and as he tried to work the ball past extra cover he only managed to loop it to mid-on's left, allowing Ponting to get round and take the catch. WICKET! Ross Taylor gets his first ball to fine leg for a couple, but after two singles he has a mix-up with Guptil which sees the latter run out. Taylor pushed to the legside and took off, but there was a moment's hesitation from both batsme halfway through the run which cost the batsman as James Hopes swept in and affected the direct hit. Guptill put in a fantastic dive but was still just short.
21-0 - Bollinger's found a hint of swing, and now he manages to control it to the extent that Guptill is willing to watch a maiden pass him by.
21-0 - Australia's bowlers have given this away so far, because they've mixed up a bunch of really good balls with some extras that have cost them. Here McKay oversteps and Guptill flicks the no-ball away nice and fine for four, and then he hammers the free hit into the stands at cow corner. McKay went for the slower ball, landed it nicely but was picked by Guptill who got all of that. Huge six.
9-0 - McCullum gives himself room with the second ball, and as Doug Bollinger tries to send the ball wide of off stump he overshoots it and sends it so wide that Brad Haddin can't gather and the Kiwis grab a few extras. Bollinger then comes around the wicket and gets his line wrong, resulting in five wides down the legside.
1-0 - Clint McKay has been given a game today and he's given the first over as well. Brendon McCullum shimmies around the crease as he is wont to do, but can only get New Zealand off the mark with the fifth delivery as he steps inside the line to tuck a single to short midwicket. Martin Guptill then makes a very tight leave off the final ball.
Ricky Ponting got blown off the golf course yesterday but the weather is pretty good today at the Westpac Stadium. The boundaries are bigger, so the batsmen will have to work harder than they have in previous matches, and Simon Doull reckons there's a little bit in the pitch to start off with because of the layer of grass on top. Best bet for the Black Caps might be to set a solid platform up top, rather than roaring out of the blocks and coming up short like they have in their last three matches.
Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wk), Ricky Ponting (capt), Cameron White, Mike Hussey, Adam Voges, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Clint McKay, Nathan Hauritz, Doug Bollinger.
Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Shanan Stewart, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori (capt), Gareth Hopkins (wk), Nathan McCullum, Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond, Tim Southee.
Ricky Ponting's won another one. and again he's decided that Australia will bowl first. He says it's been working well for them so they'll stick to that tactic.
Hello and welcome to our over-by-over commentary of the fifth and final ODI of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy. It's the series-losing Kiwis up against the triumphant Aussies again at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.