Styris lifts Black Caps to win

SCOTT Styris and Shane Bond were the unlikely heroes for New Zealand as they won a tense opening Chappell-Hadlee one-day international against Australia by two wickets.

Chasing 275 for eight, the pair got the Black Caps across the line after Ross Taylor's 70 had built on a good start by Brendon McCullum (45) and Peter Ingram (40).

Styris, who finished on 49 not out off just 34 balls, smacked a six off Doug Bollinger in the final over to lift the Black Caps to 281 for eight to seal the victory with four balls remaining.

The all-rounder was a late inclusion in the starting line-up after captain Daniel Vettori was ruled out with a neck injury which saw Taylor assume the captaincy.

Bond (11 not out) played his part too, hitting two crucial boundaries off Shane Watson to level the scores with an over to go.

Earlier, a run-a-ball top score of 59 from Mike Hussey helped Australia post a competitive total.