Chasing 280 to win, Zimbabwe finished at 266 for 8, thanks to an industrious 94 from Grant Flower.
It was Zimbabwe's sixth straight defeat in the tournament, and it is getting tough for them to find any positives from this tour.
The African nation's muddled batting line-up is an illustration of their game plan. At a time when big shots were required, the Zimbabwe think-tank promoted Sibanda Matsikenyeri ahead of Andy Blignaut, an all-rounder with a strike-rate of 102, and defeat seemed to be the only result.
Thanks to Blignaut's late blitz of 31 off 22 balls, the margin of defeat seems to suggest a close match.
Man of the match Grant Flower summed up Zimbabwe's cricket best when he said his team is running out of batsmen.
Earlier in the day, half-centuries by skipper Ricky Ponting and Michael Bevan saw Australia reach 279 for 7 after electing to bat. Ponting scored a blistering 63, while Bevan found form, hitting a crucial 75, as Australia set Zimbabwe a daunting target of 280.
Australian innings:
Some element of interest returned to the league phase of the VB Series after Zimbabwe almost tasted victory against India last week.
Though Zimbabwe lost the thriller by three runs, the African nation suggested that they are in Australia to compete and spring the odd surprise.
With Adam Gilchrist rested for two games, Ponting gave his vote of confidence to out of form Damien Martyn and promoted him up the order after winning the toss.
After 69 runs from five innings in this series, Martyn was desperate for a good score. The promotion was the perfect tonic for the West Australian, who had his highest score --- an unbeaten 144 against Zimbabwe at the WACA in 2001 in one-dayers while opening the batting.
But after a confident cover drive off Heath Streak in the third over of the innings, he was gone cutting the same bowler to Dion Ebrahim at point for nine in the fifth over. Ebrahim parried the ball and then held on to the catch on the rebound to see the back of the first Australian wicket for 25.
Matthew Hayden, returning after a well-deserved rest, was lucky to still be at the crease, thanks to Grant Flower, who dropped a skier. Attempting to pull Andy Blignaut, bowling at speeds of 140-plus consistently, from outside off-stump to mid-wicket, Hayden sent the ball high up in the air but Flower misjudged the catch.
Skipper Ponting walked out to the middle and survived a caught behind appeal in what was probably the first of good decision of the series from Windies umpire Steve Bucknor. Ponting's bat had hit the pad while attempting to drive the ball.
Ponting thrived on the Adelaide wicket, which had every blade of grass shaved off, and was busy dissecting the field with his strokes. With the cathedral smiling on him, the Aussie skipper batted with the confidence of a man who saw his path broad and clear. Sixteen runs had come off the 12th over and Sean Ervine was having another disastrous outing with the ball. The scoring pattern was 2,4,2,0,4,4, with Ponting flicking, driving and pulling the bowler all around the park. The fifty-run partnership between Ponting and Hayden was up off just 46 balls. Hayden was on 15 at that stage and it explained Ponting's dominance that dwarfed the Adelaide Hills in the backdrop.
The confidence was infectious. Hayden stepped out in the next over to Douglas Hondo and sent him packing over mid-wicket.
Streak brought Blignaut back into the attack and the move worked. Hayden smacked the ball straight to Ebrahim at point and was gone for 20. (84-2)
Ponting soon got to his fifty off 47 balls with his 11th four. At the end of the 15th over, Australia were 98-2 and in command.
With spinners operating from either end, the boundaries stopped and singles and twos were the trend. Left-arm spinners Ray Price and Grant Flower turned the ball appreciably and even forced Ponting to take them seriously.
Michael Bevan, promoted to number four, had got off the mark with a four and was hitting his way back into some form for the bigger battles ahead.
In the 23rd over, Ponting danced down the wicket to Price and played the ball straight to mid-wicket. Blignaut fielded and threw the ball in a jiffy to keeper Taibu, who dislodged the bails in a flash. Ponting was gone for 63 and Australia were 128-3.
Sourav Ganguly should be watching the match keenly with spin yet again proving to be Ponting's Achilles heel. Off the 21 balls he faced from the left-arm spinners, he scored just 9 runs all singles -- with no boundary.
Ganguly will do well to throw his pack of left-arm spinners --- Murali Kartik, Rohan Gavaskar and Yuvraj Singh at Ponting in the finals against Australia.
Michael Clarke joined Bevan and consolidated in the middle overs, adding 77 runs between them.
Bevan got to his 45th half-century in the 35th over of the innings and it was a typical innings, laced with nudges and pushes with few boundaries (4).
Clarke followed the ideal one-day mantra and had 32 singles in his 36, with only 16 dot balls and a single boundary, before his tap of luck ran dry. Bevan cut the ball straight to Flower and called for a non-existent run.
Australia had crossed the 200-run mark but lost the important wicket of Clarke just when the slog overs neared. (205-4)
At the end of 40 overs, Australia were 206-4, having added just 108 runs in the 25 overs after the 15-over restrictions were up. Price and Flower had bowled 20 overs for just 85 runs and with the track slowing down, the batsmen were clearly struggling to play their strokes.
Bevan, looking for quick runs, holed out to Ervine in the 43rd over for 75. Andrew Symonds played a cameo for his 30 and saw Australia close in on the 280-plus record.
Streak, the best bowler in a rudderless attack, jammed the brakes on the Aussie attack and picked two wickets in the final over to end the innings at 279 for 7. A mere 73 runs were scored in the final 10 overs despite the fact that the Australians had six wickets in hand at that stage.
Zimbabwe Innings
Zimbabwe's opening stands have failed to deliver all summer and change was inevitable. But Tatenda Taibu's promotion up the order wasn't exactly the solution as was evident from way he struggled against the new ball. At the other end, Grant Flower, who has opened on previous occasions, was expected to anchor the innings. Why Dion Ebrahim was not considered for the opening slot is a vexing question. He opens the batting in Tests.
The openers failed to get any early momentum in the chase and the match seemed headed for another easy Australian victory.
Off the last ball of the 10th over, Taibu played an express delivery from Brad Williams on to his stumps. Zimbabwe had lost their first wicket for 29 and Taibu, who has batted in every batting position except three and eleven, was gone for 9 off 32 balls.
After 15 overs, Zimbabwe were 40-1. Chasing 280 against Australia, that is anything but the kind of start you would want to stay in the match.
Grant has failed to flower for Zimbabwe in the VB Series and the impact of his failure is evident. Zimbabwe have, save for the last game against India, not scored a single 250-plus total.
Brett Lee, meanwhile, who was sending down the ball at a searing pace, bowled Friend (8) with a full delivery. (55-2)
Stuart Carlisle, centurion in the game against India, joined Flower but failed to dominate the Australian bowlers. His brief innings ended when he tried an ugly slog off Williams and holed out to substitute fielder Ian Harvey at shortish mid-off.
At the halfway stage, Zimbabwe were 97 for 3 and the asking rate was soaring.
Left-handed Sean Ervine, who got his maiden century against India at the same ground days ago, was stroking the ball well and a breezy knock from him could have done the trick for Zimbabwe.
Ervine was particularly severe on Michael Clarke, who he hoisted for a huge six.
Just as the Flower-Ervine partnership was threatening to kick on the chase, Ervine holed out to Lee at long off for 33. The 69-run partnership had set the base for the final assault and it was now left to Heath Streak, Dion Ebrahim, Andy Blignaut and Matsikenyeri to make a match of it.
Flower, playing his first innings of substance in the series, was closing in on a hundred. Six short, he edged a wide delivery from Jason Gillespie to keeper Haddan and Zimbabwe had lost the battle at 169-5, still requiring another 111 runs.
Flower's 153-minute stay at the wicket had kept Zimbabwe in the chase.
Ebrahim was stumped for 11 after the ball hit Haddan's pads and dislodged the bails; Ebrahim was stranded.
In a move that was nothing if not baffling, Zimbabwe sent Matsikenyeri ahead of Andy Blignaut, with the asking rate climbing to 9 an over. Blignaut, with four blistering fifties in his career, has a strike rate of 102. Why he was kept back till the end is a mystery in itself.
True to form, Clarke bowled Matsikenyeri, who was trying to up the ante, and Blignaut walked in to fight a battle already lost.
Skipper Streak also failed to convert his cameo of 28 into a match-winning one when he was caught by Andrew Symonds off his own bowling. Zimbabwe lost the game by 14 runs and though the margin of defeat is small, the difference between the two teams was huge.
With the West Indies and Zimbabwe struggling to compete at the highest level, having a two-tier system in world cricket might not be such a bad idea.
