Mitchell Marsh inspires Australia to series-levelling victory over New Zealand

The Black Caps posted 281 for nine from their 50 overs, Marsh snaring two of the top four in six-over figures of two for 30, with Kane Williamson (60) top-scoring and Mitchell Santner's late unbeaten 45 boosting the hosts' total.

Australia looked in trouble at 197 for six, despite a superb knock of 98 from 79 balls from David Warner, but Marsh (69 not out) and John Hastings (48no) got the tourists over the line with an unbroken 86-run seventh-wicket stand.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, New Zealand would have been hoping for a mammoth score especially after some early fireworks from Brendon McCullum.

The right-hander hit three sixes and two fours in his final innings in Wellington before his 12-ball cameo came to an end when Scott Boland clipped his off stump with his score on 28.

Martin Guptill was below his usual explosive best and, when he went for 31 and Henry Nicholls followed 11 balls later, the hosts had slipped to 95 for three in the 18th over.

Williamson and Grant Elliott steadied the ship, though, the former manoeuvring the ball on both sides of the wicket to bring up his fifty off 71 balls, and they were in good shape as they passed 150 in the 29th over.

However, Williamson and Elliott (32) both departed in the space of two overs and their innings looked like being derailed until Santner and Adam Milne (36) came together at 205 for seven in the 41st over.

The pair began to find the boundary and put on 61 in 44 balls to drag New Zealand towards the 300 mark.

Warner and Usman Khawaja (50) gave Australia a solid start to their response with a 122-run partnership.

Khawaja brought up his fifty with a single from the first ball of the 17th over before departing from the next delivery when he chipped a return catch back to bowler Santner.

The middle order failed to deliver - captain Steve Smith (two) and George Bailey (nought) departing in successive balls at the hands of Matt Henry, and Glenn Maxwell (six) bowled by Trent Boult - but that only served to speed up Marsh's arrival.

Warner was sent back two short of his hundred when he was adjudged lbw off the bowling of Santner after a review, leaving Australia 191 for five and the match in the balance.

Matthew Wade (two) did not last long - falling to a wonderful left-handed catch on the mid-wicket boundary, which secured Santner his third wicket - but, when Hastings joined Marsh in the middle, the writing was on the wall for the home team.

Marsh overpowered New Zealand with nine fours and a six in his 72-ball innings, while Hastings - five fours and one six - produced some neat shots to find the gaps before unleashing a few big hits of his own in the closing stages to guide Australia to victory from 46.3 overs.

The teams head into Monday's third and final ODI in Hamilton with the series finely poised at 1-1.