If Chris Harris' name is missing from the Queen's Birthday Honours list this year then the system is flawed.

Has there been a more valuable member of any sporting team in New Zealand in recent history?

He is such a reliable performer with a happy knack for coming up with crucial performances at just the right time that he has to be the winningest performer of them all.

So often the calming influence in the midst of New Zealand cricket crises, Harris gave yet another practical demonstration of that in last night's 23-run victory over Australia - the first time New Zealand has recorded three successive victories over Australia since 1982/83.

Providing the winning innings that gave New Zealand a total to defend in the first game of the VB Series, he repeated the dose on a lesser scale last night in Sydney when he was 42 not out off 43 balls.

Then when things were getting tight in the Australian innings he caught Ryan Campbell and Australian captain Steve Waugh with two superb catches in the point area.

And who do New Zealand turn to when they need the brakes put on the batting? Chris Harris of course. He picked up Ian Harvey, Shane Warne, and the last wicket of all, Glenn McGrath at a cost of 37 runs.

Harvey and Warne were crucial because there was still the chance they could hit out.

But the cricket gods are not smiling on this Australian team at the moment.

What is even more galling for the Australians is the fact New Zealand still have not played at their optimum in this series yet.

A slow batting performance in this game, with an appalling run out of newcomer Brendon McCullum, was supplemented by disappointing bowling disciplines which almost resulted in record-equalling concession of wides. New Zealand bowled 18 on the night, three free overs which fortunately on this occasion the Australians were unable to utilise.

It is a pretty simple formula that bowling pressure becomes a must after a slow scoring innings.

It was a dictum New Zealand forgot last night when committing a cardinal sin in the game.

Having already had pressure go on the Australians, as a consequence of their slow over rate, by their being required to pass New Zealand's total with an over less to play with, the New Zealand bowlers then bowled 18 wides and four no-balls, three and two-thirds overs extra.

Or a minimum of 22 runs, if the basic penalty is considered, but in reality many more as runs were scored off the extra balls bowled.

By comparison, the Australian bowlers conceded only three wides, and there was a complete absence of no-balls. That is discipline Australian style.

New Zealand's record number of wides is 19, conceded twice before in 1995/96 against Zimbabwe at Napier where it lost, and in 1999/00 at Rajkot in India where it won.

All that aside, it will be interesting to see how the Australians respond to the fact that South Africa and New Zealand now have two wins apiece and they have none. They must be starting to think about the World Cup next year and whether it is time to go with new blood at the expense of older hands like Mark Waugh and whether there will be any pressure applied to Steve Waugh's leadership of the side.

Adam Gilchrist's return to the side will strengthen it, but it will not be the cure-all that the Australians need.

There are still things for the New Zealanders to work on in their game, and it is a welcome change that they are able to record victories while still playing below their best. That doesn't happen often to New Zealand sides, perhaps the Australian tri-series duck is about to be broken.

© CricInfo