Australia win first Twenty20 match](Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands.)
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Australia have beaten New Zealand by 44 runs in their historic Twenty20 international at Eden Park in Auckland. Ricky Ponting finished stranded on 98 not out off 55 balls after helping Australia recover from 54 for four to pile on 214-5 from their 20 overs.
New Zealand were bowled out for 170 on the last ball of the match despite 66 from Scott Styris and 36 from Brendon McCullum. Australian paceman Michael Kasprowicz was the best of the bowlers, capturing 4-29 from his four overs.
Thursday’s match was the world’s first 20-over international amid speculation that the abbreviated form of the game, which enjoys strong public support in England, could become a regular part of the international calendar.
The Australians, who also won the first test and 50-overs internationals, made a flying start, smashing 46 runs off the first four overs, but were forced to settle down after losing Michael Clarke (7), Adam Gilchrist (1) and Andrew Symonds (32) early.
Ponting, batting at four, began cautiously but was soon into his full stride, sharing two vital partnerships with Simon Katich, who made 30, and Mike Hussey, who finished unbeaten on 31.
Man of the match Ponting reached his half-century off 35 balls when he whacked former New Zealand rugby player Jeff Wilson for six and finished with eight fours and five sixes off only 55 balls.
The skipper was at the non-strikers’ end with two balls to go and might have reached his hundred had Hussey taken a single off the penultimate ball instead of belting it for six.
New Zealand made a strong start to their reply with McCullum and captain Stephen Fleming cracking 49 off the first five overs when things suddenly went wrong.
Kasprowicz bowled Fleming for 18 and then had Matthew Sinclair caught for a golden duck. He missed his hat-trick but claimed the scalps of McCullum and Cairns to finish with four wickets for the match.
Styris briefly threatened to lead a New Zealand revival, striking five boundaries and three sixes off 39 balls before Brett Lee bowled him in the penultimate over.
Interest in the match was huge with a full house of 30,000 packing into the ground as both teams entered into the carnival atmosphere of the match.
The New Zealanders wore the same beige uniforms they wore in the 1980s and some of the players were sporting facial hair and wigs. Australian paceman Glenn McGrath embraced the irreverent nature of the match when he attempted to bowl the final delivery underarm before being red-carded by umpire Billy Bowden.