Australia v New Zealand

At Melbourne, January 29 (day/night). Australia won by two wickets. Australia 4 pts. Toss: New Zealand.

Michael Bevan played one of the great one-day innings to postpone New Zealand's qualification for the finals. With Australia 82 for six in the 22nd over and in danger of crashing out of the tournament, Bevan's counter-attacking century propelled them to an astounding two-wicket win. In a beautifully paced innings, he never panicked, chipping away at the total to reach 50 off 58 balls, then knocking big chunks off it as he took just 35 more deliveries to complete his century. His heroics, however, would have been impossible without solid lower-order support: he added 61 with Warne, 81 with Lee and an unbeaten 24 with Bichel. Australia scored at eight an over during the last 11 overs. New Zealand missed Cairns, who had earlier hit a brisk half-century, but was unable to bowl because of a back problem. Bond let the attack outstandingly well, but the medium-pacers were expensive.

Man of the Match: M. G. Bevan.