NZ beat Australia by 2 wickets

PERTH: New Zealand have beaten Australia by two wickets in the first ODI match here on Sunday.Ross Taylor dragged New Zealand from a sluggish start to within spitting distance of the winning runs, with a cool-under-pressure 64 off 97 deliveries, as the visitors beat Australia by two wickets in the first ODI at the WACA, Perth, on Sunday. The Kiwis did not have the best of starts as Brendon Mccullum was unluckily given out leg before wicket off a thick inside edge in the first over. They did their utmost to emulate their hosts' innings as the top three batsmen were back in the hut for 25 runs. Taylor, however, found a willing partner in Neil Broom (29), and when the latter departed, Taylor was joined by Kyle Mills who - with a quick 26 runs off 35 deliveries - inspired the former up his own run-rate. Australia had a glimmer of hope in the final three overs as Nathan Bracken and Shaun Tait bowled with discipline and guile and between them took three wickets for 17 runs, but it was too little, too late, and New Zealand took a 1-0 lead in the series off the final ball of the match. Earlier, Australia won the toss and elected to bat first. Still smarting from their series loss to South Africa, and thereby losing the Nr 1 ODI ranking, Australia were looking for a victory in today's encounter to see them regain that top spot. However, the Kiwis had other ideas, as first they sent Shaun Marsh (15), then the dangerous David Warner (seven) and finally Ricky Ponting (five) packing with only 27 runs on the board. Ponting, in particular, was kicking himself as he walked back to the pavillion, having underestimated the arm of Broom, and found himself a few inches short of his ground. Only Mike Hussey with 49 runs, and Brad Haddin with 31, stayed put for any amount of time, raising hopes of a decent total with a sixth-wicket partnership of 61. But when the latter dragged a Mills delivery onto his stumps, the writing on the wall was just about dry, as the hosts lost wickets at regular - and what must have been infuriating for them - intervals, and in the end were bowled out for 181 eight balls short of their 50 overs. Mills was the pick of the New Zealand attack, taking four wickets, but Daniel Vettori was the man to turn the screws (and kept them turning ever tighter) as he conceded a mere 22 runs off his ten overs