Ricky Ponting steered Australia to a comfortable win over a severely-weakened, yet feisty, Zimbabwe in the first One-Day International on Tuesday.

Australia, chasing a target of 206 after half centuries from Brendan Taylor and captain Tatenda Taibu took Zimbabwe to a creditable 205 for nine, replied with 207 for three to win by seven wickets with 10.2 overs to spare.

Australian captain Ponting made a polished 91 off 93 balls with eight fours and three sixes while Damien Martyn, who shared in a 144-run second-wicket stand with Ponting, was 74 not out.

Taylor scored 59 while Taibu made 57 for a Zimbabwe side that is missing 15 leading white players who are embroiled in a battle with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.

The Test series between the two sides was postponed last Friday after Zimbabwe, without the 15 white players, were crushed by Sri Lanka 5-0 in their recent one-day series and lost both Test matches by an innings.

Australia's reply began badly when Matthew Hayden was caught at midwicket by Tawanda Mupariwa off Tinashe Panyangara off the seventh ball of the innings, though it was the first he faced.

His fellow opener Adam Gilchrist was dimissed less than 10 overs later when he was caught by Vusi Sibanda at midwicket off Douglas Hondo for 26, ending a 52-run second-wicket partnership with Ponting.

The dismissal, however, was the end of Zimbabwe's meaningful challenge and Ponting and Martyn were untroubled as they took Australia to within nine runs of victory when Ponting was brilliantly caught by a diving Sibanda at long-on.

BATTLING INNINGS

Earlier, the 18-year-old Taylor defied the Australians for 101 balls, though he was dropped on six by Michael Clarke at third slip off Jason Gillespie.

Gillespie was superb in his opening seven-over spell, taking one wicket for seven runs and tormenting the Zimbabwe batsmen before Taylor and Taibu stabilised the innings with their fourth-wicket partnership of 61.

The pair guided Zimbabwe through to 125 in the 38th over before Taylor's drive from a Darren Lehmann delivery looped to Ponting at extra cover.

Taibu and Mark Vermeulen, whose 20 runs came from just 15 balls and included two fours and a six, then combined for a 47-run partnership before Vermeulen was caught by Ponting off Michael Kasprowicz in the 43rd over.

The Australian captain combined again with the tall fast bowler in the 46th over when he caught Taibu in the covers.

Paceman Glenn McGrath, playing his first match for Australia since last July because of an ankle injury, bowled tentatively and took one for 35.

Scoreboard

Zimbabwe:
S.Matsikenyeri c Gilchrist b Gillespie 8
B.Taylor c Ponting b Lehmann 59
V.Sibanda b McGrath 18
D.Ebrahim b Williams 8
T.Taibu c Ponting b Kasprowicz 57
M.Vermeulen c Ponting b Kasprowicz 20
A.Maregwede c Clarke b Gillespie 5
M.Nkala run out 0
T.Panyangara not out 14
T.Mupariwa run out 3
D.Hondo not out 0.

Extras: (b-2, lb-5, w-4, nb-2) 13

Total: (for 9 wickets, 50 overs) 205

Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-46, 3-64, 4-125, 5-172, 6-184, 7-184, 8-188, 9-204.

Bowling: McGrath 10-1-35-1 (w-1), Gillespie 10-4-21-2, Kasprowicz 10-2-26-2 (nb-1 w-1), Williams 5-0-31-1 (w-2), Lehmann 6-0-32-1, Symonds 9-0-53-0 (nb-1).

Australia:
A.Gilchrist c Sibanda b Hondo 26
M.Hayden c Mupariwa b Panyangara 0
R.Ponting c Sibanda b Panyangara 91
D.Martyn not out 74
M.Clarke not out 5.

Extras: (lb-4, w-7) 11

Total: (for three wickets 39.4 overs) 207

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-53, 3-197

Did not bat: A.Symonds, D.Lehmann, J.Gillespie, M. Kasprowicz, B.Williams, G.McGrath.

Bowling: Hondo 7-0-40-1 (w-1), Panyangara 9.4-1-48-2, Nkala 5-1-24-0 (w-4), Mupariwa 10-1-47-0 (w-1), Matsikenyeri 6-0-31-0, Sibanda 2-0-13-0 (w-1).

Result: Australia win by seven wickets

Second ODI: May 27 - Harare

Third ODI: May 29 - Harare