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LIVE BLOG: Australia v New Zealand

Australia captain Michael Clarke, returning to lead his country again after an injury layoff, had no hesitation in opting to bat after winning the toss in the World Cup match against New Zealand.

Fast bowler Pat Cummins replaced Josh Hazelwood in the Australian side to further strengthen their impressive pace attack while their tournament co-hosts New Zealand named an unchanged side.

The Australians, who have won 11 of their 16 one-day matches against New Zealand at Eden Park, trail the home side in the Pool A standings after their game against Bangladesh was rained off following a decisive victory over England.

New Zealand have beaten Sri Lanka, Scotland and England and are full of confidence after showing consistent form in both the one-day and the test arenas over the past 18 months.

A capacity crowd of 40,000 poured into Eden Park, where New Zealand defeated Australia in the opening game of the 1992 tournament and the game started in glorious sunshine.