Australia have run down the Blackcaps on the penultimate ball, as both teams continued their preparation for this month's Twenty20 World Cup in the UAE.
Batting first at Abu Dhabi's Tolerance Oval, New Zealand compiled 158/7, with openers Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell, captain Kane Williamson and all-rounder Jimmy Neesham all reaching 30s at better than a run a ball.
After sitting out the match against Netherlands with a hamstring niggle, Williams topscored with 37 off 30 balls, while Neesham provided late fireworks with 31 from 18 balls, caught by Steve Smith from the final delivery of the NZ innings.
Mitchell again excelled in his role as makeshift opener, retiring not out for 33 off 22 balls, as he and Guptill compiled 44 runs off the first five overs.
"Any time you can get a partnership going and a good run rate up front to get some momentum is always pleasing for the team," reflects Guptill. "The way Daryl has pushed through to the 10th over and retired twice has been brilliant for him.
"We were potentially 10 runs short, but at the end of the day, we put up that score and probably should have defended it."
The Australian chase got off to a bad start, when opener David Warner charged Tim Southee's first ball and edged a catch to Guptill wide in the slips.
But captain Aaron Finch and Mitchell Marsh steadied the ship, Smith and Marcus Stoinis added mid-order stability, before Ashton Agar and Mitchell Starc guided the Aussies to the verge of victory.
All-rounder Mitch Santner sparked a collapse - three wickets in six balls for one run - that swung the match New Zealand's way briefly, bowling Smith for 35, coaxing Matthew Wade into a catch for Southee and then catching Stoinis off Trent Boult's delivery.
Australia needed 13 runs off the final over for victory, and Starc and Josh Inglis took to Kyle Jamieson, with Inglis edging consecutive boundaries to finish the job.
Santner provided the best bowling figures (3/22), but both Jamieson and Southee (1/42 each) went for more than 10 runs an over.
For both teams, the match provided a valuable hitout and a chance to re-integrate players returning from Indian Premier League commitments, before their tournament openers - Australia face South Africa on Saturday, while New Zealand play Pakistan on October 27.
"It was our first time together as a T20 unit for quite some time, so we dusted off the cobwebs," says Guptill.
The Blackcaps face England in their final warm-up match on Wednesday.
NZ 158/7 (Williamson 37, Mitchell 33, Neesham 31, Guptill 20, Richardson 3/24) Australia 159/7 (Smith 35, Stoinis 28, Finch 24, Marsh 24, Santner 3/22)
Australia win by three wickets
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