All-rounder Cameron Green took 5-33 as Australia bowled out Zimbabwe for 200 in the first one-day international at the Riverway Stadium in Townsville on Sunday.
Zimbabwe, playing their first series in Australia since 2004, went into the match as the underdogs against a full strength home side.
Their openers got through the first 10 overs without losing a wicket, seeing off the first spells of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood relatively comfortably.
But in the 11th over all-rounder Mitchell Marsh made the breakthrough when he dismissed Innocent Kaia for 17, leaving Zimbabwe 42-1.
They pushed on to 87 before impressive opener Tadiwanashe Marumani (45) tried to charge leg-spinner Adam Zampa, only to miss the ball with a big heave and lose his middle stump.
Zimbabwe were scoring steadily and brought the 100 up in the 25th over as Wessly Madhevere and Tony Munyonga began to attack Zampa.
But straight after lifting Zampa over mid-on for a boundary, Munyonga tried to smash him over long-off and was caught brilliantly in the deep by Steve Smith to leave Zimbabwe 104-3.
Zampa was in the action for the fall of the fourth wicket when he caught the dangerous Sikandar Raza on the fine leg boundary off Cameron Green for five.
And he took his third wicket with the final ball of his spell when Madhevere chipped a return catch back to him for his highest ODI score of 72, leaving the visitors 185-5.
The tail had no answer to the pace of the towering Green as Zimbabwe lost their last six wickets for 15 runs to be all out in the 48th over.