Australia v New Zealand

At Guwahati, November 9, 2003. Australia won by 44 runs. Australia 5 pts, New Zealand 1 pt. Toss: New Zealand.

This was Australia's sixth consecutive win against New Zealand, who won the toss, seized an early advantage and then slowly but surely disintegrated against a line-up missing at least nine front-line players. Having reduced Australia to 61 for four, New Zealand were unable to find a way of stopping Ponting and Bevan on a sluggish pitch. Australia, already through to the final, opted to rest Hayden, Gilchrist and Williams, but still found a successful formula when it mattered, something their captain Ponting put down to experience - and Bevan. So often the architect of New Zealand's demise, Bevan top-scored with 84 and marshalled the tail intelligently, wringing every possible run out of the final five overs. New Zealand again struggled against the left-arm swing of Bracken, and the only batsman who seemed to have much of an idea was Styris, who followed up his man-of-the-match effort in Cuttack with a battling half-century.

Man of the Match: M. G. Bevan.