Fast bowler Jason Gillespie made the initial breakthrough for Australia

It gave the tourists a 1-0 lead in the one-day series which was rearranged after the cancellation of the Tests.

"We were a bit rusty in the field, and with the ball, but we batted really well," said Ponting.

"A lot of the guys have not played cricket for a couple of months, so it was a good game to get under our belt."

Set a modest victory target of 206, the World Cup holders knocked off the runs with more than 10 overs to spare but Ponting missed out on a hundred when he was dismissed for 91.

"It got a bit tight and I needed the last nine runs left in the game, but I got out to a pretty good catch so I can't complain," he added.

For Zimbabwe, the match offered plenty of encouragement as the humiliation predicted by some pundits failed to materialise.

We should do better next time around Ricky Ponting

Brendan Taylor and Taibu both made half centuries and all their bowlers performed respectably.

"We were looking to get 230 plus. I asked my batsmen to give it their best shot, and I thought they did that.

"Taylor showed a lot of guts and I was happy with the way he played," said Taibu.

"Our bowling was a bit shaky at the beginnings and we could still improve [in that area]."

The teams will meet again on Thursday, to be followed two days later by the final match.