Agence France Presse

Auckland, February 17:

Ricky Ponting and Michael Kasprowicz revelled in the spotlight as Australia out-slogged and out-thought New Zealand to win the first Twenty20 cricket international by 44 runs here on Thursday.

Ponting smashed an unbeaten 98 off 55 balls as the tourists averaged 10.7 runs per over to reach 214 for five in their alloted 20 overs, while New Zealand were all out on the last ball of the match for 170.

In a match which produced 384 runs in just under three hours, the crowd approaching 30,000 saw Ponting come to the crease at 21 for two and toy with the New Zealand bowlers. He cracked eight fours and five sixes including 30 off one Daryl Tuffey over which was boosted by four sixes — two straight down the ground and two over mid-wicket.

New Zealand’s opening bowlers Tuffey and Kyle Mills had made a reasonable start, reducing Australia to 54 for four in the sixth over before the containment fell away. Ponting and Simon Katich added 83 off 56 balls for the fifth wicket before Mike Hussey and Ponting put on an unbroken 77 off 34 balls, Hussey’s 31 not out including three sixes. Mills was the most successful bowler with three for 44 from four overs, and while the New Zealand figures tended to support pre-match criticism that the quickfire game would be tough on bowlers, Kasprowicz thought differently when Australia were in the field. He cleaned out both New Zealand openers in successive balls with the score at 49 — Brendon McCullum caught by Ponting for 36 and Fleming clean bowled for 18 — and finished with four for 29 off his four overs.