(BBC) Scott Styris blasted a quickfire 49 to propel New Zealand to a two-wicket win over Australia in Napier in the first of their five-match one-day series.

Australia posted 275-8, largely thanks to Mike Hussey (59) and Shane Watson (45), but they lost wickets regularly.

Brendon McCullum (45) and Peter Ingram (40) set New Zealand off to a good start in reply while stand-in captain Ross Taylor’s 70 kept them in touch.

And Styris lofted Doug Bollinger for a match-winning six in the final over.

The visitors had looked likely to set a target in excess of 300 after Watson hit Tim Southee for 14 in the first over and Australia raced to 50 in the sixth over.

But once Watson was out, caught by Ingram at deep mid-wicket off the bowling of Jacob Oram for 45 off 31 deliveries, the run-rate slowed considerably.

Ricky Ponting scored 44 before he was undone by James Franklin’s slower ball and drove to Martin Guptill at short cover while Michael Clarke was surprised by a Daryl Tuffey bouncer on 22.

Hussey put on 72 with James Hopes (33) to lift the Aussies to a competitive total.
McCullum and Ingram put on 75 for the first New Zealand wicket, but they too lost batsmen as partnerships were blossoming.

Taylor, who replaced the injured Daniel Vettori as skipper, held the innings together with a run-a-ball 70, although when he holed out in the deep to Hussey off Watson, his side were 204-5.

Neil Broom, Tuffey and Southee all fell cheaply to leave Styris needing to engineer 30 runs with Shane Bond, as all rounder Oram had been forced off left the field with a knee injury.

Bond played his part, hitting Watson for two boundaries to level the scores with one over left and Styris lifted Bollinger for a maximum with four balls remaining to seal an impressive win.

Australia skipper Ponting offered no excuses and said: “It’s never nice to lose a game, but any loss you have, you always learn more from a loss than a win, so we’ve got to look at what we did wrong and make sure we train better leading up to the next game.

“That’s the important thing now. I’ve just had a quick chat with the guys in there about the way we executed things and just some of our shortcomings. It’s up to the group now to respond well.

“I probably felt all night we were just a little bit behind, I didn’t think 275 was enough runs on that wicket. The ground is so small and the wicket was very good right through the game.

“Full credit to New Zealand I thought the way they bowled and fielded was terrific. Ross Taylor played a fantastic knock and Scotty Styris got them over the line so they were a bit too good.”

Styris, who would not have made the final XI had Vettori passed a fitness test on his neck injury, said: “I was a little bit rusty to start with. I haven’t had an innings for a couple of weeks so it took me a little bit to get going but the wicket out here was top drawer and great for batting.

“Thankfully once the powerplay came I was able to get my shots away.”

The defeat was Australia’s first in 13 matches and follows a super-over defeat in the final Twenty20 in Christchurch on Sunday.

“This is a big series. This defines our summer. I think Daniel Vettori has already said that,” said Styris. “To win back-to-back games, albeit in different versions of the game, is a good start for us.

“Hopefully they know they’ve got a contest now and we’re here to play.”

Meanwhile, Styris and Australia bowler Mitchell Johnson were penalised by officials after an unseemly altercation in the 46th over of the New Zealand innings.

Initially, there was a verbal exchange between the two players but Johnson approached Styris and made what the umpires felt was deliberate and inappropriate physical contact with his opponent.

Johnson was fined 60% of his match fee for a level two offence, contrary to clause 2.2.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players or Team Officials, which relates to “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players in the course of play.”

Styris was charged with a Level 1 offence as a result of the same incident and was ordered to part with 15% of his fee.

The umpires felt Styris contributed to the verbal exchange that preceded the physical contact and that his actions contravened clause 2.1.8 which covers actions that are contrary to the spirit of cricket or bring the game into disrepute.