A painfully slow start to the innings saw Zimbabwe chasing a total it never really looked like making. After 15 overs they stood at just 40 for one in reply to Australia's 279.

Opener Grant Flower gave stout resistance to earn Man of the Match honours with 94 runs from 106 balls. But he found little support from the top order, with Tatenda Taibu cleaned bowled for nine with the score on 29.

Travis Friend fared no better, the victim of a thunderbolt from paceman Brett Lee while on eight.

Stuart Carlisle then made just 15 before the middle order finally offered some resistance, with Sean Ervine making 33 and skipper Heath Streak 28.

The Australian pace attack of Lee, Brad Williams and Jason Gillespie kept Zimbabwe bottled up early on, with Lee in particular keeping them ducking and weaving.

By midway through the innings, Zimbabwe had crawled to 97 for three, needing well over seven per over for the last 25 overs.

The batsmen went after part-time left-arm spinner Michael Clarke in the middle stages, taking 42 runs from his first five overs.

All-rounder Ervine hit 33 from 33 balls and with Flower smashed 16 off Clarke's fifth over, the 35th of the innings. But spinner Brad Hogg broke their 69-run stand, easily the best of the innings, in the following over, having Ervine caught in the deep.

It was Gillespie who finally captured Flower's wicket, having him caught behind to end Zimbabwe's hopes. But by the time Flower fell, Zimbabwe was 169 for five after 37 overs, still needing 111 from 13 overs at nearly nine per over.

It meant wickets fell regularly from then on as the lower order batsman tried to smash quick runs, with all-rounder Andrew Symonds picking up two late wickets to go with his quickfire 34 with the bat. In the end Zimbabwe capitulated for 266.

Earlier, Ricky Ponting belted a quick 63 and one-day specialist Michael Bevan compiled 75 to form the backbone of Australia's total.

Ponting's innings included 11 boundaries, and he had looked on target for a century before Blignaut brilliantly ran him out from midwicket.

But Damien Martyn, promoted to the opening position in a bid to revive his ailing form, again failed to fire.

Martyn was out for nine, his fourth score under 10 in six innings for the series, caught at gully off Streak's bowling. He finished with 3-45 from 10 overs.

The loss meant Zimbabwe is without a win in the competition so far, while Australia has lost only once to India.