Warner, Marsh help Australia reclaim Chappell-Hadlee Trophy

Australia 5 for 378 (Warner 119, Marsh 76, Smith 72, Head 57) beat New Zealand 262 (Williamson 81, Neesham 74, Cummins 4-41) by 116 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Fourteen years and one month after Nasser Hussain infamously offered Australia first use of a Gabba pitch that proved brimful of Ashes runs, Kane Williamson gambled similarly and was left with an equally bitter taste of defeat, surrendering the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy in the process.

Now, as then, there were mitigating circumstances: the pitch looked to have something in it after rain, and humid, overcast weather suggested apt conditions for swing. But after a couple of useful early deliveries things cleared for Australia's batsmen; so much so that they accelerated to the team's second highest total on home soil.

David Warner and Steven Smith set a platform that a supercharged Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh took full advantage of, leaving Williamson's visitors to chase in hope rather than expectation. Granted so many runs to defend, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc all put in strong stints, while Head's part-time off spin was frugal.

After the toss was delayed by more than half an hour due to light drizzle in Canberra, the hosts were given an ideal start by Warner and a noticeably tighter Aaron Finch, getting through an early period of new ball movement to ease the pathway for the rest.

Warner's hundred combined judicious shot selection with plenty of hustle between the wickets and power off the bat, his sixth in ODIs this year. Most notable were his muscular, punched drives down the ground that gave New Zealand's seamers very little margin for error.

Smith, following up from his ground record 164 at the SCG on Sunday, produced another innings of substance and style in Warner's wake, as the pair combined for a stand worth 145 at better than a run a ball. Head was promoted above Marsh when Warner exited, and vindicated the decision by clattering 57 from 32 balls, before Marsh himself followed up with a bullying 76 from 39 - the swap appeared to suit both players.

Needing to win to keep the series alive, New Zealand dropped Lockie Ferguson after his Sydney debut for the more experienced swing bowler Tim Southee. Australia dropped Adam Zampa from the side that won handsomely at the SCG, replacing him with the allround skills of James Faulkner.

Having gambled on overcast skies and the potential for a slightly tacky pitch, Williamson needed early wickets but did himself no favours when placing only two slips for Warner. In his first over, Trent Boult found enough swing and bounce to draw an edge from Warner, but it flew past Jimmy Neesham's outstretched left hand at slip rather than straight into the lap of where third slip might have been.

Finch, meanwhile, showed he had worked on his first ball dismissal at the SCG, getting forward and across to cover the moving ball, and ensured that Williamson resorted to the spin of Mitchell Santner in only the 11th over of the innings. By the time Finch was bowled behind his pads trying to sweep Santner, there were 68 runs on the board and a platform had been laid.

Smith wasted little time picking up the thread left by his Sydney innings, while Warner played shots all round the ground without ever losing control of his tempo. Through strong running and the occasional boundary, he pushed on to three figures, doing so with near enough to 20 overs of the innings still remaining.

It took a fine low catch from Williamson at cover to account for Warner, before Smith skied an attempt to loft over cover and so missed out on consecutive hundreds. Head was rapidly into stride, pinging boundaries with relish, in contrast with a more halting effort from Marsh.

These two had traded places in the batting order, and it was not hard to imagine Head keeping his new-found place at No. 5 in the future, even if Marsh gradually found his rhythm to strike the ball with the sort of power associated with his best batting days. He put an exclamation point on the innings with a trio of straight sixes in the final over from a humbled Matt Henry.

Of the New Zealand bowlers, only Santner avoided considerable punishment; a trio of no-balls and the resultant free hits did not help either. They commenced their pursuit with a brazen Martin Guptill, following up from his SCG hundred. But Guptill was robbed of his opening partner Tom Latham via a return catch from Josh Hazlewood, before the ball of the night from Pat Cummins found his outside edge.

From there the visitors were always facing a dreadfully difficult task. Williamson put together a typically organised innings, and had staunch support from Neesham - even after he was struck a stinging blow to the right arm by Mitchell Starc. But their efforts did little to prevent the asking rate blowing out, and the consequent pressure delivered a steady stream of skied catches to Smith's infielders.

After a horrid start to summer, the Australians have found a little of their former strut - Hazlewood and Starc can expect to be given a breather from the third match at the MCG on Friday. Williamson's men, meanwhile, have some thinking to do, starting with the coin toss.