Kerr bowls to Litchfield and gets a dot, then the Australian punches into the off side for a single.

Ellyse Perry on strike hits a single, and then a pull shot from Litchfield gets a single.

Perry back on strike and sweeps for another single. The Aussies are working the ball nicely around the field.

The final ball is a dot.

Sophie Devine bowls to Phoebe Litchfield.

Litchfield hits a drive, which is fielded.

Another dot ball is followed by a pull shot to deep square for a single.

FOUR. Ellyse Perry is on strike and nails a pull shot to the boundary. Devine’s delivery was dropped short and hammered to the rope.

Another short ball is pulled for a single, with a deep square now in position.

Litchfield skips down the wicket and plays a drive into the off side for a single to end the over.

The leg spin bowling of Amelia Kerr will now be on show.

Kerr bowls to Ellyse Perry who works a ball to the leg side for a single.

Phoebe Litchfield is facing and blocks.

FOUR. Litchfield comes down the wicket and hits a terrific drive along the ground to the extra cover boundary.

DROPPED. Kerr bowls the wrong-un and debutant Bella James drops the edge at first slip. That could be a big moment.

FOUR. Litchfield goes for the reverse sweep and hammers that ball to the boundary.

A single down to long-off ends the over.

Sophie Devine is bowling to Ellyse Perry.

New Zealand’s bowlers are trying to bowl at the stumps and cramp Australia for space.

She starts with four dot balls. There is an appeal for LBW, but the umpire saw the inside edge onto the pad.

Perry then works a ball to fine leg for a single.

Phoebe Litchfield will face the final ball of the over.

FOUR. Litchfield charges, and hits over mid-off to the boundary, The Australian did not hit that ball sweetly, but enough to get over the fielder.

Molly Penfold bowls to Ellyse Perry and gets a dot to start.

WIDE. Penfold bowls loosely down the leg side.

Penfold follows up nicely with four dot balls.

INSIDE EDGE. Ellyse Perry has ridden her luck. She played the big drive, caught the inside edge, which misses the stumps and goes to fine leg for a single to end the over.

The powerplay is over.

Alyssa Heally was the aggressor but was dismissed in the ninth over.

New Zealand’s bowling started wayward, but has tightened up nicely.

Australia will be hoping Phoebe Litchfield and Ellyse Perry can form a nice partnership.

The White Ferns can now have a few more fielders outside the inner ring.

Sophie Devine bowls to Phoebe Litchfield.

The first ball is wonderfully hit through the covers for two runs.

BEATEN. A cracking ball from Devine. The ball was swinging in to the left-hander Litchfield, then seamed away to beat the outside edge.

Two more dots and then Litchfield hits the ball in the air and it JUST drops short of the fielder at point.

Litchfield did not look comfortable with that ball. The final ball is left to end the over and the powerplay.

Ellyse Perry marches to the wicket following the dismissal of her captain.

Perry fends and then leaves a wide ball.

Perry plays a square drive which was fielded nicely at point for no run.

The final ball is left.

That is a wicket-maiden over from Molly Penfold.

Molly Penfold has the wicket if Alyssa Healy.

The second ball of the ninth over was dug in short and Healy went for the pull shot.

I am not sure if the ball held in the wicket, are Healy did not full commit to the shot, but it was popped straight to mid-wicket — Amelia Kerr took an easy catch.

Healy is out for 34 off 32 balls.

New Zealand’s captain bowls to Australia’s captain.

The ball from Devine is on Healy’s pads and whipped down to deep square for a single.

Phoebe Litchfield is on strike and fends, then hits a cover drive which is straight to a fielder.

Another cover drive this time finds a gap and Australia run two.

Litchfield fends the final two deliveries to end the over.

Eight overs are done. Australia is 0-43.

G’day Peta.

Alyssa Healy looks in nice touch, considering she has missed about a month of cricket.

The Aussie captain has put away bad balls, and fended good balls confidently.

These are good signs for this match, this series, and next month’s Ashes.

So Molly Penfold is going to bowl from the opposite end to where she started.

She will now be bowling downwind.

FOUR. Doesn’t matter which end you bowl from, if you bowl way outside off stump, Alyssa Healy will swing the willow at it. Healy got it over the offside field and to the cover-point boundary.

Penfold follows up with a shorter ball which Healy punches away — in the air — to the mid-wicket fielder.

Another dot ball follows.

FOUR. Another very wide ball outside off stump and Healy lashes at the ball. She catches the toe-end of the bat, but it flies over gully and down to the boundary.

A pull shot to fine leg gets a single. Phoebe Litchfield will face the final ball of the over.

The final ball is a dot, as Litchfield defends.

New Zealand’s captain has decided to bring herself on.

Sophie Devine is a genuine swing bowler and will be hoping to make the most of the conditions.

Devine bowls to Phoebe Litchfield and starts with a trio of dot balls.

Litchfield guides a ball to third for a single, then Alyssa Healy works a ball off her pads for another run.

A dot ball ends the over.

Rosemary Mair continues, bowling to Alyssa Healy.

The first ball is a dot.

FOUR. Another ball on the pads is whipped over the leg side to the boundary.

Healy misses a wide ball outside off stump.

BEATEN. That was a better line, outside off stump from Mair. She encouraged Healy to drive and beat the outside edge.

FOUR. Healy was not missing another chance at a cover drive. The Aussie captain was on the front foot early and hit a textbook cover drive to the boundary.

A dot ball ends the over.

G’day Chris.

I know! Actually cricket being played.

Let’s hope the rain around Wellington stays away.

Thanks for joining me on the ABC Sport live blog.

Molly Penfold is bowling to Phoebe Litchfield.

The first ball is a dot.

Litchfield then charges and gets a thick edge over gully for a single — bringing Healy on strike.

Two dot balls are followed by an inside-edge which allows Australia to take a single.

A dot ball ends a really nice over from Molly Penfold.

Rosemary Mair is bowling to Alyssa Healy.

The first three deliveries are dot balls, with Mair bowling nice line and length to the Australian captain.

Healy gets hit in the body after missing a ball off her side. The ball is certainly swinging at the Basin Reserve.

FOUR. Great shot from Healy. It was a poor ball from Mair, on her pads, and Healy dispatched it to the mid-wicket boundary.

FOUR. Another loose ball on the pads, and Healy whips it to fine leg for four more runs. That is a disappointing end to what had been a nice over from Mair.

Right-arm pace bowler Molly Penfold will bowl the second over.

The first ball is down the leg side, but clips the leg of Phoebe Litchfield so it is not a wide.

WIDE. Well, another ball down the leg side does result in the umpire raising her arms to signal wide ball.

Australia takes a single after Litchfield works a ball off her pads into the leg side.

Now bowling to the right-handed Healy, Penfold gets her line right and gets a dot ball.

WIDE. Penfold bowls too far outside the off stump and concedes her second wide of the over.

Two dots after followed by a single — off a misfield by Suzie Bates at extra cover — ends the over.

Rosemary Mair is playing her first ODI for New Zealand since 2022.

She comes in for the opening ball of the match.

WIDE. That is a loose ball well down the leg side.

FOUR. Another loose ball from Mair which is on Alyssa Healy’s hip. Healy rocks onto the back foot and helps the ball down to fine leg and for a boundary.

Mair gets her line right and forces Healy to fend the next two deliveries.

Healy gets a single after New Zealand’s gully fielder slipped on a wet patch of grass.

Pheobe Litchfield is now facing.

BEATEN. What a cracking delivery from Mair, who beats Litchfield all-ends-up. There is a slight appeal from Izzy Gates, the wicketkeeper, but I think the ball flicked Litchfield’s pad on the way through.

Litchfield gets a single down to third to end the over.