Wellington, Oct 6 NZPA - New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said the Black Caps could be proud of their effort in making the final of the Champions Trophy one-day tournament in South Africa.

After a shaky start, when they were reeling at six for two, Australia cruised to a six-wicket win at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

New Zealand struggled to post a competitive total, eventually reaching 200 for nine off 50 overs, while Australia finished at 206 for four with 28 balls to spare.

Vaughan said the Black Caps had showed real grit to reach the final, and fought hard once there.

"New Zealanders can be proud that their side has performed well during this competition, beating three top-ranked sides in must-win matches and making it to the final," Vaughan said.

"Having been hit so hard by injuries during the tournament, the team has battled against the odds and shown great character."

New Zealand lost Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder and Daryl Tuffey to injury, while captain Daniel Vettori missed the final with a hamstring injury.

The tournament saw a number of strong individual performances from the New Zealanders.

Ross Taylor finished with the highest number of catches, taking a total of nine, while Grant Elliott recorded the tournament's best overall bowling average, at 12.25, and fourth best strike rate of 18.0.

Elliott and Ian Butler both featured in the top five bowling performances - Elliott was third with his four for 31 against England, Butler fifth with four for 44 against Pakistan.

Kyle Mills was the third-highest wicket-taker with nine wickets, while Vettori's seven wickets earned him sixth ranking.

Brendon McCullum's six sixes placed him fourth on the list of six-hitters, while Martin Guptill was sixth-highest run scorer, with 191.

A number of the Black Caps now travel to India to compete in the Champions League Twenty20 competition, including McCullum, Butler, Neil Broom and Aaron Redmond with the Otago Volts.

The side reassembles later in October, before travelling to the United Arab Emirates for the limited-overs series against Pakistan, beginning at Abu Dhabi on November 3.