Lynn McConnell at Eden Park
Australia is facing a reduced target of 200 from 34 overs after rain caused the loss of 90 minutes play in the fourth Chappell-Hadlee Trophy match at Eden Park in Auckland on Thursday.
New Zealand was dismissed for 238 in 44.1 overs but almost as soon as the innings finished, light rain began falling. Conditions cleared sufficiently for the covers to be taken off, but five minutes before play was due to resume another light shower began to further delay the start.
The number of overs was reduced to 34 and the target became 200.
Earlier, Australia's bowling was put to the test during an initial assault but came back strongly to see New Zealand once again fail.
In an interesting indication of what might lie in store during Australia's innings it was the slower bowlers who had most effect with medium-pacer James Hopes taking 2-38 from 10 overs while Nathan Hauritz ended with 3-46 from eight overs.
Mitchell Johnson again backed their efforts to end with 2-40 from 8.1 overs.
No indication of what lay in store from the New Zealand batting was obvious as Brendon McCullum (61 from 75 balls) and Martin Guptill (30 from 22) put on 63 runs in 7.4 overs before Guptill fell.
The pair, opening again after Peter Ingram was dropped, hammered Doug Bollinger for 30 runs in his first three overs and Ryan Harris for 20 from his first three.
Harris came back superbly to concede only eight runs from his next three overs to help apply pressure which saw Ross Taylor, batting at No.3, caught in the deep by Michael Hussey from James Hopes' bowling for 15 off 37 balls.
Newcomer Shanan Stewart was tempted to try and loft Hauritz back over his head only to be caught at deep mid-on for four from nine balls. Scott Styris succumbed to Hopes with eight from 19 balls while Daniel Vettori hit 12 from 18 before he was trapped leg before wicket by Mitchell Johnson.
But once the breakthrough was made, New Zealand proved unable to maintain the momentum in the face of a classy, professional bowling approach which squeezed the life out of the New Zealanders.
Once McCullum was dismissed in the 25th over, the third of three wickets to fall in the space of 10 runs, New Zealand was forced into survival mode and it wasn't until Daryl Tuffey launched into off-spinner Hauritz that New Zealand managed to regain some scoring rhythm.
Tuffey and Gareth Hopkins added 36 before Watson induced an edge from Hopkins when he had scored 20.
Shane Bond entered into the spirit and blasted six runs back over Harris' head, but two balls later Tuffey offered Harris a return catch which he took comfortably for Tuffey to depart for 34 off 17 balls.