Close New Zealand 235 for 9 (Harris 42*) beat Australia 212 (Bevan 66, Harris 3-37) by 23 runs
scorecard

So lightning does strike twice - in fact three times. Not content with stealing the show in the competition curtain-raiser at Melbourne, New Zealand today returned for a raucous encore as Australia fluffed their lines like a village team. Chasing 236 to win, Australia were in control at 174 for 4 with Michael Bevan and Damien Martyn at the crease, but the dismissal of Bevan triggered a collapse of Argentine-economy proportions as six wickets tumbled for 38 in the space of 43 balls. Australia don't need to swear in a new captain yet, but three defeats out of three is not what Steve Waugh had in mind when the VB Series began.

As at Melbourne, the life and soul of the party was Chris Harris. He breathed life into a flagging innings with a run-a-ball 42 (not out, of course), then huffed and puffed his way through the Australian tail with those nagging back-of-the-hand drifters to take 3 for 37. And for good measure he took two catches - one of them world-class. They won't be calling for his (balding) head for a while now.

For a while, though, it looked as normal service would be resumed. Bevan was doing what he does best, working the gaps with almost inhuman precision and finding the ropes when it mattered. The best finisher in one-day cricket was ready to apply the icing. But when he pushed with an open face at Chris Cairns and was caught by Scott Styris - imaginatively placed at slip by Cairns himself, standing in for the injured Stephen Fleming - for 66 (174 for 5), Australia began to wonder.

They began to wander too. Damien Martyn (24) was unluckily caught two yards out of his crease as Ian Harvey's drive was deflected onto the non-striker's stumps by Cairns, and the panic was on. That made it 178 for 6. Three runs later Harvey (6) was out as well after changing his mind mid-stroke and checking a drive off Harris to Lou Vincent at mid-off. In the next over James Franklin trapped Brett Lee plumb in front for 1 (188 for 8). Four wickets had fallen for 14; Australia were shellshocked.

Shane Warne briefly threatened to wag the tail but he slogged Harris to Mark Richardson at long-off for 14 (203 for 9), and it was all over when McGrath attempted his skyer (this one definitely hit the bat). For the second time in the series, New Zealand had beaten Australia by 23 runs; for the first time in 19 years they had won three one-day games against them in a row.

Earlier, New Zealand had done their level best to give Australia a fighting chance by dropping two early catches. Mark Waugh had been superbly run out for 0 by Vincent, swooping from cover then diving and releasing in one glorious motion, but both Ryan Campbell and Ricky Ponting had let-offs. Campbell was missed on 3 by Cairns at mid-off, Ponting on 0 by Vincent at square leg. Shane Bond was the aggrieved bowler on both occasions, but he maintained his composure to have Ponting caught behind for 11 (29 for 2).

Campbell, on debut, blazed away merrily for a while and Bevan settled in but after the pair had added 69, Campbell pulled Daniel Vettori to midwicket where that man Harris tumbled to his right to cling on (98 for 3). Campbell had made a stylish but flashy 38. Then came another big moment in a game that was full of them. Steve Waugh cut the erratic Bond hard into the point region only to see Harris dive low to his left and then emerge, grinning, with the ball. With Waugh out for 9, Australia still needed another 118. Slowly but surely Bevan and Martyn chipped away. Until, that is, the whole edifice came tumbling down.

New Zealand's innings was a classic salvage operation. Some unusually hesitant batting from Richardson, who ran out the debutant Brendon McCullum for 5 (13 for 1), got them off to a slow start and after 18 overs the score was 38 for 1 - more like a Test match than a one-dayer.

Craig McMillan (39 off 45 balls) and Chris Cairns (31 off 29) injected some urgency, and Adam Parore tucked into Warne with some meaty leg-side blows as Australia's fielding fell to pieces. Harris then cranked things up even more with a late flurry that included two boundaries in Lee's final over. At one stage they had looked unlikely to break 200; a total of 235 for 9 was manna from heaven.

And tonight heaven looks a perky shade of black.

Teams

Australia 1 Mark Waugh, 2 Ryan Campbell (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Michael Bevan, 5 Steve Waugh (capt), 6 Damien Martyn, 7 Ian Harvey, 8 Shane Warne, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Glenn McGrath.

New Zealand 1 Mark Richardson, 2 Brendon McCullum, 3 Lou Vincent, 4 Craig McMillan, 5 Chris Cairns (capt), 6 Scott Styris, 7 Chris Harris, 8 Adam Parore (wk), 9 Daniel Vettori, 10 James Franklin, 11 Shane Bond. Lawrence Booth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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