There was a little bit in the wicket with the new ball and we made the most of it Australia captain Ricky Ponting More post-match reaction

Brad Williams grabbed five wickets as Australia outclassed Zimbabwe by 99 runs at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Chasing 226 to win, Zimbabwe slumped to 17-5 before skipper Heath Streak (46) and Tatenda Taibu (29) spared blushes with a sixth-wicket stand of 73.

Williams made it two wins from two VB Series matches for Australia when removing last man Andy Blignaut to return personal-best figures of 5-22.

Andrew Symonds top-scored with 42 as Australia laboured on a poor pitch.

The hosts began brightly enough after winning the toss, but were soon reduced to 77-3 before lurching to 118-5.

Symonds and Michael Clarke (40) put on 66 for the sixth wicket to steady the ship before Ian Harvey chipped in with 22.

For Zimbabwe, Sean Ervine recorded figures of 3-53 off 10 overs, while Blignaut and Grant Flower grabbed a brace each.

VB SERIES TABLE Australia P2 W2 L0 NR0 BP1 Pts11 RR1.17 India P1 W0 L1 NR0 BP1 Pts1 RR-0.36 Zimbabwe P1 W0 L1 NR0 BP0 RR-1.98

Australia opener Adam Gilchrist set off in positive fashion, hitting 34 off 44 balls, but Matthew Hayden struggled and fell to Streak on 14 with the score on 42.

Skipper Ricky Ponting was pouched by Stuart Carlisle off Blignaut for 21 and Gilchrist followed soon after for 34 to leave Australia in slight disarray.

Damien Martyn moved things along with a quick 21 off 17 balls before he was caught and bowled by Flower.

Shortly after the Zimbabwean repeated the same trick with Michael Bevan, who went for four.

Symonds eventually fell in the 44th over, caught by Douglas Hondo off Ervine, leaving the tail to wag Australia to respectability.

Zimbabwe were already a spent force when Streak was stumped

Zimbabwe were shell-shocked when plunging to 17-5 in the eighth over of their chase, Williams taking four wickets and a catch off Jason Gillespie.

Carlisle fell in the second over to a Matthew Hayden catch before Vusimuzi Sibanda was caught in the deep for seven.

Flower (lbw) and Stuart Matsikenyeri (bowled) fell to Williams in the sixth over, and Mark Vermeulen joined them in the dressing room when his stumps were levelled for five.

Streak and Taibu took Zimbabwe safely past their lowest ever one-day total - 38 against Sri Lanka in 2001 - but Streak was given a life by Ricky Ponting at second slip when on 11.

Taibu was eventually caught behind off Symonds for 29, but Streak capitalised on his second chance to fustrate the hosts.

He received some support from Ervine (14), but the end soon came for Zimbabwe when their skipper was stumped off Clarke four short of his fifty.

Williams then returned to the attack, ending proceedings in the 38th over when removing Blignaut with a brutish short ball, capping the third-best bowling return in all one-dayers at the ground.

Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist, Damien Martyn, Michael Bevan, Michael Clarke, Andrew Symonds, Ian Harvey, Andy Bichel, Jason Gillespie, Brad Williams.

Zimbabwe: Heath Streak (captain), Vusi Sibanda, Stuart Carlisle, Mark Vermeulen, Grant Flower, Stewart Matsikenyeri, Tatenda Taibu, Sean Ervine, Andy Blignaut, Ray Price, Douglas Hondo.