Auckland: Australia took a clear points decision over New Zealand but both sides insist there were minimal psychological blows landed from twenty20 cricket before the tour of New Zealand gets serious on Saturday with the first one-day International.
Led by Ricky Ponting’s magnificent unbeaten 98 off 55 balls and a slick four for 29 from paceman Michael Kasprowicz, Australia toppled New Zealand by 44 runs in the tour opener — the first international twenty20 slogfest here on Wednesday.
In one of the bigger home crowds in recent memory, 29,317 packed into Eden Park to see 31 fours and 17 sixes hit in three hours as Australia’s 214 for five comfortably topped New Zealand’s 170.
“There’s no psychological edge we can take out of this game,” Ponting said, as the teams prepared to head to Wellington where the actual tour of five one-day matches and three Tests begins. “It’s just nice to get out and spend a bit of time in the middle to get used to the conditions a little bit.”
Scott Styris, who top-scored for New Zealand with 66, described the feeling in the losing camp as “disappointed but not deflated”.
But Australia’s might and power was obvious. With Ponting flaying 30 runs off a Daryl Tuffey over, Brett Lee firing the ball through at 150 kms an hour and Kasprowicz picking off the top order, it showed the size of New Zealand’s task in the five-match one-day series.
Add to that the fact that dangermen Adam Gilchrist and Michael Clarke both departed cheaply, and paceman Jason Gillespie was resting.
Ponting, though, continued his circumspect line, describing his innings of eight fours and five sixes as “a nice start” and refusing to claim any damage to New Zealand's morale.
It was difficult to know how much to read into the low-key 20-over slog, with Jeff Wilson starting accurately with the ball but taking some worrying punishment later on to concede 43 off four ov-ers.
Kyle Mills took three for 44, while Tuffey, after an excellent opening spell including some well disguised slower balls, was carted for 6, 2, 6, 6, 4, 6 by some exquisite Ponting hitting.
Ponting wasn’t reckless and hit his best boundaries straight down the ground, along with a massive pick-up off Wilson that clattered the top tier of the main grandstand.