Kiwis upset Australia

New Zealand players celebrate their victory

VB Series: New Zealand, Melbourne, NZ 199-8 (50 overs) Australia (176 all out after 41.5 overs) by 23 runs.

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New Zealand pulled off a stunning victory over Australia in the opening match of the triangular one-day series in Melbourne.

Chris Harris earned the man-of-the-match award with an unbeaten 63 to steer the Kiwis to 199-8 off their 50 overs, and later claimed a wicket to finish with 1-17 from seven economical overs.

Australia would have been satisfied with bowling out New Zealand cheaply and looked to be cruising towards their target of 200 at six runs an over early on, but faltered badly.

Harris rescued the Kiwis, who were reeling at 94-7 at one point, after Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath had ripped through their top order.

All-rounder Chris Harris led the Kiwi recovery

He scored his 63 off 92 balls and put on a record eighth-wicket partnership for New Zealand against Australia with Daniel Vettori, who scored 30 as they added 72 from 103 balls.

They were finally parted when Shane Warne ran out Vettori after Harris had pushed the ball to square leg.

Lee dismissed opener Lou Vincent, Chris Cairns and Craig Macmillan in the first 18 overs of the day and McGrath accounted for Mark Richardson for eight and captain Stephen Fleming for one.

And the Kiwis sank even further into trouble when Ian Harvey dismissed Scott Styris and Adam Parore was run out.

But Harris and Vettori steadied the ship and New Zealand posted a respectable target.

Shane Bond claimed the wicket of opener Mark Maugh for a single during Australia's reply, but Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist answered back with a stand of 58 at six runs an over.

Cairns produced a slower ball to deceive Gilchrist, who chipped it straight back to the bowler.

Bevan become Bond's third victim

Australia continued their barrage of boundaries until Ponting clipped a delivery from Bond to James Franklin on the square leg boundary, after scoring 45 from 54 balls, including five four and a six.

Bond and Franklin combined again to remove Bevan in the next over, as the left-hander carved a short ball to deep backward point.

The match was then held up for 10 minutes because of objects being thrown onto the field from the crowd.

Captain Steve Waugh was run out going for a third with partner Damien Martyn refusing to leave his crease, when the action resumed.

Cairns then produced a delivery that cut back to bowl Ian Harvey through the gate and repeated the trick on Brett Lee.

Shane Warne was also castled trying to heave Chris Harris out of the ground, Martyn missed a straight one from Daniel Vettori to depart lbw, and Glenn McGrath was caught behind off the spinner as Australia collapsed to 176 all out.