At the last drinks break the White Ferns are 101/6 off 37.2 overs chasing Australia’s 223/6 off 50 overs.

Two double blows have punctuated the New Zealand innings. The second saw Nicola Payne and Haidee Tiffen go within four deliveries.

Payne (36) went in right arm medium Julie Hayes’ second over, playing across a ball aimed at leg stump.

Tiffen edged a forward defensive three balls later, in Karen Rolton’s first over, to be caught behind for a golden duck.

Six overs and 11 runs later Pulford (30 off 75 balls) drove at a wide one from Rolton, to become Price’s fourth catch of the innings.

Maia Lewis (14 not out), on her recall to the team after scoring 75 not out in New Zealand A's success last Wednesday joined fellow A team call-up Michelle Lynch to register the century in the 37th over.

Lynch went for ten, bowled by a Hayes yorker, two balls later.

Payne earlier struck Lisa Sthalekar over mid-on, then pushed the Australian half-century maker’s off spin through mid-on to bring up the Ferns’ fifty in 116 deliveries.

Payne and Pulford brought up a half-century partnership after 111 deliveries in the 23rd over.

Two killer blows by Australia fast bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick, 35 in March, took her to within three of becoming the first woman to100 ODI wickets.

More importantly, the two batsmen who combined to win the White Ferns only match of six in last summer’s Rose Bowl were dismissed in three Fitzpatrick deliveries in the fifth over.

Fitzpatrick’s pace had Rebecca Rolls lbw on the crease off the first ball of her third over.

Two balls later Emily Drumm was controversially given out by umpire Doug Cowie.

Drumm seemed to leave a rising ball outside off stump from Fitzpatrick, but with her bat extended Cowie decided a bemused Drumm had edged the ball.

Nicola Payne (17 not out) and Kate Pulford (18 not out) rebuilt, seeing off Fitzpatrick (two for 11 off six overs) and Emma Twining (0/17 off six).

However, the required run rate had risen to 5.72 at drinks thanks to economical spells from off spinner Lisa Sthalekar(3-0-6-0) and medium pacer Clea Smith (3-1-7-0).

Australia recovered from 178/6 to score 223/6 off its 50 overs after being 161/2 with Lisa Sthalekar and Karen Rolton dominating.

Four wickets fell in 18 deliveries from Wellington 22-year-old medium-pacer King, who returned a career-best 4/24.

Rolton had brought up the 150 off 212 balls, but King’s 4/6 in six overs after the second drinks break gave the White Fern batsmen hope.

Sthalekar (59 in 99 balls) was lbw sweeping powerfully at King in the 36th over, ending a second wicket partnership of 123 in 149 deliveries.

Rolton (86 in 84 balls) cut at a wide one in King’s next over and flat-batted straight to Aimee Mason at point.

Melanie Jones (five) and Michelle Goszko, a Test double centurion, struggled to get going against King and Amanda Green, who took 1/39 off ten overs on her ODI debut.

Goszko (nought) hit a King full toss to Mason at square leg, who recovered well from her hand injury, caused during Rolton’s onslaught.

Jones took 17 deliveries to score before cover driving Green to the boundary in the 41st over.

When debutante Kris Britt (nought) hit another Ling half-tracker to a fielder, this time Maia Lewis at midwicket, Australia had lost four wickets for ten runs in six overs to go to 172/5 in the 42nd over.

Jones then skyed Emily Drumm (1/18) to Nicola Browne at deep midwicket in the 45th over to make the collapse read five wickets for 16 runs in nine overs.

Julie Hayes and Cathryn Fitzpatrick, with a well-run stand of 45, nudged Australia to 200 off the last ball of the 46th over, at least fifty less than what it expected at the second drinks break.

The last five overs contained nine wides and numerous quick singles, as Hayes (20 not out) and Fitzpatrick (15 not out) moved around the crease and hurried the fielders.

Australia’s concern may be that faster bowlers like Fitzpatrick have been less effective than medium pacers on a fast, firm wicket.

In coolish conditions on a true pitch Sthalekar and Rolton have added an unbroken 108.

From 64/1 with Sthalekar on 29 and Rolton 18, the right hand/left hand combination’s contrasting use of finesse and power has set Australia up for a 250-plus total.

The only chance came when off spinner Aimee Mason got her fingertips to a Rolton straight drive off a full toss. She had to have treatment for a sore left hand.

Rolton hit the last delivery of Mason’s third over for a straight six, bringing up the fifty partnership in 56 deliveries. The Australia vice captain passed Sthalekar with the six and moved to her 15th ODI fifty in the 28th over with her seventh four in 49 balls and 58 minutes.

Rolton hit five fours and a six in her fifty off Mason, who bowled eight overs for 50.

Sthalekar, on 43, with Australia at 99/1, was sent back by Rolton after pushing one into the covers, but Rebecca Rolls did not cleanly gather Maia Lewis’ throw.

Rolls appealed for a stumping off Emily Drumm against Sthalekar (45) two overs later, but umpire Mike George turned her down.

Australia passed its century off 146 deliveries with a Sthalekar glide to third man off Nicola Browne.

Sthalekar’s fifty came up a straight-driven single off Mason in 86 balls and 104 minutes.

The second wicket pair’s century stand came in 121 deliveries, with 83 runs scored in the hour before the second drinks break at a sunny Lincoln University.

But Wellington medium pacer Amanda Green had a dream start to her debut, forcing Australia captain and record run-scorer Belinda Clark (eight off 32 balls) to lob a return catch with her tenth delivery in international cricket.

Overnight rain has slowed the outfield, but Sthalekar’s off driving and pulling fluency brought two boundaries in two Kate Pulford deliveries in the fourth over, as New Zealand’s attack showed a lack of penetration without the unavailable Rachel Pullar.

Northern Spirit opening bowler Nicola Browne (0/12 off four overs) showed some pace, but strayed down leg regularly. Pulford bowled tidily for the rest of her four over opening spell, which went for 15.

Sthalekar gave no chances, though Rebecca Rolls (who was standing up to Pulford and Green) might have run her out when attempting a leg bye off Pulford, but missed the non-striker’s stumps with her throw.

Rolton, driving powerfully, passed 2000 ODI runs when she cover drove Frances King to the boundary to reach 15. She had brought up the fifty off 84 balls with a cover drive off Green, whose figures were 1/20 off four overs at drinks.

Despite the attractions of the perennially popular Cystic Fibrosis celebrity charity cricket game in Christchurch’s Hagley Park, and Canterbury’s key Round Ten State State Shield match against Auckland at Jade Stadium the Bert Sutcliffe Oval is filling up as the day brightens.

Auckland captain Michelle Lynch makes her debut for New Zealand and Maia Lewis also steps up from the A team that beat England by one wicket yesterday. Amanda Green and Australia's Kris Britt also make their international debuts. New Zealand captain Emily Drumm said she sees the quadrangular series as potentially “even better” than the successful 2000 CricInfo Women's World Cup, which New Zealand won at Lincoln.

“It’s the first of a kind. It’s like the European Cup of football. It’s going to be brilliant for us,” she said. She said the Lincoln wickets looked good for batting and expected scores of over 200. The weather is cool and clear this morning and the forecast is fine.

Drumm said Australia were the team to beat in the tournament. Convener of selectors Lesley Murdoch agreed. “Australia base their game around Clark, Rolton and Fitzpatrick and they look as good as ever.”

Murdoch said Sara McGlashan had been ruled out of today’s game with a back injury sustained yesterday playing for New Zealand A against England, a team who Drumm said offered “nothing new.”

New Zealand coach Mike Shrimpton said Australia are “probably the form team” going into day one of the fortnight-long tournament.

Both the White Ferns and the Southern Stars have undergone huge personnel changes since 2000.

“We’re trying to establish ourselves as a really good all-round side,” said Drumm. “Every time we come up against Australia we test ourselves to see where we are.

“They’ve had to bring in new players as well. In the 90s we had some titanic battles with the same sort of line-ups for ten years. Now the time has come to blood new players.”

New Zealand: Emily Drumm (captain), Haidee Tiffen, Nicola Payne, Rebecca Rolls (wicketkeeper), Kate Pulford, Maia Lewis, Aimee Mason, Frances King, Nicola Browne, Michelle Lynch, Amanda Green. 12th man: Louise Milliken.

Australia: Belinda Clark (captain), Lisa Sthalekar, Karen Rolton, Melanie Jones, Michelle Goszko, Julia Price (wicketkeeper), Kris Britt, Julie Hayes, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Clea Smith, Emma Twining, 12th man: Alex Blackwell.