Set a target of 349, New Zealand started boldly but soon ran into trouble and was dismissed in the 26th over for 133.

New Zealand did not include the injured Jacob Oram in its side while Shane Bond was ruled out due to a stomach upset on the morning of the game.

Brad Hogg took 4-29 and Shaun Tait 3-32 with only Peter Fulton, the last man dismissed, making any impression with the bat for his 62.

Earlier, Matthew Hayden's third 2007 World Cup hundred powered Australia to 6-348.

Hayden (103) shared a second-wicket stand of 137 in 21 overs with Ricky Ponting (66), after the early loss of Adam Gilchrist.

New Zealand was indebted to the canny skill of Scott Styris for at least eliminating his fellow Queenslander before he could augment his 97-ball hundred in a still more brutal onslaught.

Even so, Hayden blasted 10 fours and a six to give Shane Watson (65no) licence to bag another four of each among the majority of 66 runs in the last five overs.

The world champion conceded two of the three highest run chases in one-day international history against its trans-Tasman rival during the Chappell-Hadlee series earlier this year.

Whether the Kiwis could pull off a still tougher task here - to get the better of the Aussies for a fourth successive time - was highly dubious.

They might have been thinking along different lines when Gilchrist fell to James Franklin's first delivery of the day - slicing an upper-cut too fine to third-man.

Hayden had already announced his intent, however, by going up the pitch to smash Michael Mason over deep midwicket.

New Zealand, without strike bowler Shane Bond because of a stomach bug, looked vulnerable from the outset - and so it soon proved in this match between two sets of semi-finalists which will have relatively few implications for the remainder of the tournament.

Kiwi captain Stephen Fleming nonetheless deserved credit for fiddling 50 overs - and powerplays - out of an attack minus two 10-over regulars in Bond and the injured Jacob Oram, against the world's most formidable batting line-up.

The final over of Franklin's short stint with the new ball disappeared for 18 runs - including the extra self-inflicted handicap of three no-balls.

Fleming turned to Jeetan Patel in only the fifth over - a move which did not pay off until Ponting failed to get enough on a chip over midwicket off the off-spinner and was caught in the ring.

Taking the pace off the ball had therefore achieved a little respite - but with all seven bowling options explored well before mid-innings - Fleming was never able to arrest a six-an-over plus run rate.

It could have been much worse for the Kiwis had Hayden's trademark innings lasted the course.

The man who single-handedly stopped that happening was Styris - his off-break inducing a mis-timed shot from Hayden, before he raced back at least 30 yards from the bowling crease to judge and safely catch a skied chance coming over his shoulder.

Michael Clarke had helped Hayden put on 72 in only 10 overs but got out one short of his 50, unaccountably leaving a straight ball from Franklin (3-74) which bowled him middle stump.

Andrew Symonds failed to deliver, holing out in the deep off Patel at the start of the last 10.

Watson operated at two runs a ball to inject a late charge off the returning pace bowlers - including 24 from one Mark Gillespie over - but there was just a sense that Australia could easily have made considerably more than they did.

Australia's innings

Gilchrist c Gillespie b Franklin 1 (2)
Hayden c & b Styris 103 (100)
Ponting c Taylor b Patel 66 (70)
Clarke b Franklin 49 (46)
Hussey c Styris b Franklin 37 (44)
Symonds c Mason b Patel 11 (16)
Watson not out 65 (32)
Hogg not out 0 (0)
Extras 16 (1lb, 5w, 10nb)
Total 348 (for 6 wkts; 50 overs)

FoW: 1-7, 2-144, 3-216, 4-233, 5-257, 6-334

Bowling
Mason 3-0-27-0 (1nb, 1w)
Franklin 8-0-74-3 (5nb, 1w)
Patel 10-0-48-2 (1nb)
Vettori 10-0-60-0 (2nb)
Styris 10-0-50-1 (2w)
Gillespie 6-0-67-0 (1nb)
McMillan 3-0-21-0

New Zealand innings
Fulton b Hogg 62 (72)
Fleming c Ponting b Tait 12 (9)
Taylor c Hussey b McGrath 3 (6)
Styris c Hayden b McGrath 27 (22)
McMillan lbw b Tait 1 (5)
Franklin b Watson 6 (9)
McCullum c Hussey b Hogg 7 (16)
Vettori c Symonds b Hogg 4 (4)
Gillespie c McGrath b Hogg 2 (8)
Mason c Gilchrist b Tait 0 (5)
Patel not out 0 (1)
Extras 9 (7 w, 2 nb)
Total 133 (all out: 25.5 overs)

FoW: 1-21, 2-29, 3-77, 4-80, 5-89, 6-111, 7-117, 8-127, 9-133, 10-133.

Bowling
Bracken 4-0-27-0 (1w)
Tait 6-0-32-3 (1nb, 4w)
McGrath 4-0-25-2 (1nb)
Hogg 6.5-1-29-4 (1w)
Watson 5-0-20-1 (1w)

Sportal