BBC Sport

 

Chris Woakes was the hero on his England debut as Paul Collingwood's side produced a record eighth win in a row in Twenty20 internationals.

In a tense finale in Adelaide, Woakes, 21, hit the winning single off the last ball, finishing unbeaten on 19.

Australia all-rounder Shane Watson hit 59 from 31 balls as they made 157-4 batting first, and so nearly won the match with superb figures of 4-15.

But the hosts were unable to defend the total, England winning with 158-9.

Until Watson's dramatic impact with the ball, England appeared to be coasting to victory.

Eoin Morgan, signed by Kolkata for the Indian Premier League earlier in the week, and one of the game's best finishers in a run chase, was to the fore as England began to eat up a modest Australia total.

But with 28 runs needed from the last 29 balls, and five wickets in hand, the chase began to go horribly wrong.

Having demonstrated his customary skill at shot selection, timing and placement, Morgan (43) surprisingly drove Watson straight to David Hussey at cover, and the next ball was nicked by Michael Yardy to wicketkeeper Tim Paine.

By the end of the over, England needed 27 from the last 24 balls but only had three wickets in hand - and suddenly the game was on a knife-edge.

Woakes, selected primarily for his bowling, promptly showed he might have the necessary tools for the big occasion. He smashed Shaun Tait for a vital six, but back came Watson to remove Tim Bresnan as Australia's revival continued.

When Brett Lee's last over went for 11, England needed only four runs from the last six balls.

Watson defeated Graeme Swann with the first delivery, clean bowling England's off-spinner, before last man Ajmal Shahzad scampered a leg-bye off the fourth ball.

Three were wanted off the last two balls, and Woakes finished the job, crashing Watson for two to the sweeper on the cover-point fence before clipping the last one over midwicket for the winning single.

In another corner of Australia, devastating floods struck Brisbane - having already wrought havoc across Queensland.

Accordingly, there was a minute's silence before play started, black armbands were worn and some players not involved in the action out in the middle spent periods of the game touring the perimeter collecting cash off spectators to aid the relief effort.

Watson, born in the Queensland town of Ipswich - which was swamped by floodwater on Wednesday - batted beautifully.

He was one of only three players retained from Australia's Ashes squad and he hit Swann's first three balls for six, taking 24 runs off the over in all.

Midway through the following over, the ninth, Australia were 83-0 and looking on course for a huge score.

But having raced along playing orthodox shots, Watson backed away to try to hit Yardy through the off-side, missed and was bowled.

Australia's innings never really recovered. David Warner, sometimes known as 'Cow corner Warner', went two overs later... caught at cow corner.

Hussey compiled a somewhat laborious 28 before he was castled by a Bresnan yorker while skipper Cameron White lofted a catch to long-on off Woakes.

The Warwickshire youngster bowled his full allocation of four overs, and overcame some early nerves to wind up with 1-34.

Aaron Finch, winning his first Australian cap, and Steve Smith attempted something destructive over the closing overs but England were disciplined. Yardy's final over went for just five and Bresnan's for four including a bye.

The final over, bowled by Shahzad, was better for the hosts. It included a dropped catch by Yardy - England were not at their electric best in the field - a reverse-hit over third man for four by Smith, and 13 runs in all.

England's opening burst of batting was a helter-skelter of fours, sixes, dropped catches - and to the relief of the Australians - completed catches.

Ian Bell, a new Twenty20 opener for an England side without four players from the team that had lifted the world title in the Caribbean in May 2010, should have gone first ball.

But Steve O'Keefe dropped a chance at square-leg off Tait and England had raced to 16-0 after seven balls before Steven Davies picked out extra-cover off the 34-year-old Brett Lee.

Bell had another let-off, Warner spilling a tough chance, before departing when a searing drive was comfortably taken in the covers by Smith, giving Mitchell Johnson a wicket.

England were making fast progress. So when Kevin Pietersen, having hit O'Keefe for 10 from the spinner's first two balls, holed out to mid-off, there were no real alarm bells ringing at 63-3 in the sixth over.

Morgan began calmly, before greeting the return of Lee with a six pulled high into the crowd.

Initial support came from Collingwood, but when the skipper was caught off an attempted reverse sweep, and Luke Wright fell lbw second ball, the pressure returned.

The runs flowed for Morgan, however, and England were cruising until Watson's late intervention.

As the teams regroup for Friday's second and final match, there must be concerns in the Australian camp that Watson was the only one of their players to have a major impact on proceedings.

Pacemen Lee and Tait, expected to provide a cutting edge, went for a damaging 81 runs collectively while taking just one wicket each.

Fox Sports Australia

 

Australia unearthed a Twenty20 star of the future in Aaron Finch as the home side scored a thrilling four-run win at the MCG to square their two-game series against England.

Second-gamer Finch (53 not out) scored his maiden half-century to allow Australia to post a competitive total of 7-147 on a slow-paced pitch in front of 58,837 fans.

Left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson grabbed 3-29 in England's 6-143 in reply.

Australia's win ended England's T20 world-record winning streak at eight matches.

England needed 18 from the final over, bowled by Brett Lee and almost got there after Chris Woakes hit a huge six over long-on from the fourth delivery.

But with six needed from the last ball, Tim Bresnan could only manage a single.

Earlier, Ian Bell breezed his way to 39 before he was bowled by Johnson at 1-60 in the eighth over.

Johnson struck again thee balls later to have Kevin Pietersen brilliantly caught at cover by skipper Cameron White for one.

Paceman Shane Watson, after taking 4-15 against England on Wednesday, backed up with another great effort, taking 2-17.

Watson removed skipper Paul Collingwood (6) and opener Steve Davies (29) in the 10th and 14th overs as the tourists put their faith in No.5 batsman Eoin Morgan.

Australia's athletic fielding continued as Steve Smith leapt high to dismiss Luke Wright for 18 and Finch held a fine catch at deep mid-wicket to dismiss Morgan (14) as Johnson claimed his third wicket.

Earlier, England's spin twins Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy each took 2-19 and Australia had been in serious trouble at 5-80 batting first.

However, Finch and Steve Smith (13) shared a 51-run partnership.

Victoria's Finch, in front of his appreciative home crowd, blasted four fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 53 from 33 deliveries to win the man of the match award.

White had opted to bat first despite the slow pitch and heavy rain which had fallen on the ground on Friday morning.

Watson (17) and David Warner (30) added 37 for the first wicket and the adventurous Tim Paine smashed 21 from 12 balls.

Australia were 2-72 before losing short-form specialists Warner, White (0) and David Hussey (8) to the spin twins in the 10th, 11th and 12th overs.

But Smith and the 24-year-old Finch, who scored 15 not out on debut in Adelaide on Wednesday, kept calm and rebuilt Australia's innings.

Australia's seven-match series of one-day internationals against England starts on Sunday at the MCG.

"It's going to give us some confidence hopefully,'' White said of Friday's win.

"They say catches win matches don't they and the boys fielded well.''

England's Collingwood, who led his side to the world title in Barbados in 2010, said he thought his men were set for another amazing win.

"When Woakesy hit that six I thought we were going to pull something out of the bag,'' he said.

BBC Sport

 

Shane Watson hit a majestic century for Australia as they won the opening one-day international against England with five balls to spare in Melbourne.

Kevin Pietersen struck 78 in a total of 294 as England were bowled out with two balls of their innings remaining.

It was their highest total against Australia on their turf, but Watson got the hosts home on 161 not out from 150 balls, as they won by six wickets.

It was the highest successful run chase ever witnessed at the iconic MCG.

And, exactly 40 years after the first one-day international was played on the same ground, Watson appropriately produced the winning hit, smashing the first ball of the final over for six over long-on.

Australia were some way short of their best in the field, their bowlers sending down 12 wides, while wicketkeeper Brad Haddin missed three stumpings.

But when it came to chasing down the runs, Haddin (39 in an opening stand of 110 with Watson) and Michael Clarke, who made a boundary-free 36 in another big stand worth 107, could afford to take a back seat as Watson coped with tiredness and cramp to smash 12 fours and four sixes under the floodlights.

Five of Watson's boundaries came in each of the first five overs as Australia got on top of the required run rate. It took a long time for England, whose attack lacked the rested James Anderson and injured Stuart Broad, to gain a foothold.

In the 20th over, Haddin attempted to launch Swann for six but could only give Ajmal Shahzad a simple catch at deep square-leg.

Watson, dropped by Jonathan Trott at mid-on off Chris Tremlett at 48, continued to play the aggressor when out-of-form captain Michael Clarke came to the crease.

Clarke was shockingly booed by his home supporters when playing out dot balls, but with the required run-rate approaching eight an over, Watson smashed Yardy for consecutive leg-side sixes en route to his highest ODI score to relieve the pressure.

Wickets eventually came England's way at the other end, Clarke and Steve Smith hitting catches into the off-side, before Mike Hussey became the third Australian to fall in the batting powerplay.

Just as England threatened to take the game to the wire, Trott dropped his second catch - Cameron White the man missed at deep square-leg.

Watson, whose innings was the fifth highest by an Australian in one-day internationals, brought up his 150 with his 12th four, reducing the equation to 17 runs needed from 20 balls. And he continued to run England's fielders ragged, until Shahzad was lined up to bowl the final over with just four wanted for Australia to take a 1-0 lead in the series. By then, the result was inevitable, though Watson was able to finish it off in emphatic style.

If there was one crumb of comfort for England to take to the second match of seven in Hobart on Friday, it was the innings of Pietersen produced in registering his first half-century in international 50-over cricket since 2008.

Having been dropped for the summer series against Pakistan to rediscover a bit of form at domestic level, he was unsurprisingly named in England's side after the tourists had won the toss.

What did come as something of a shock, however, was the exclusion of Paul Collingwood, despite the poor batting form of England's Twenty20 captain.

Collingwood's vast experience, plus his expertise in bowling and fielding was overlooked in favour of a straightforward six batsmen, five bowler policy - Trott and Ian Bell both appearing in the middle order either side of Pietersen at four.

Andrew Strauss hit 63 in a bright stand of 90 from 12 overs with fellow left-hander Steve Davies (42) for the first wicket.

Davies played some lovely shots, but had plenty of luck as Australia produced a sloppy fielding performance, in which Haddin was the worst offender.

The home team's wicketkeeper, who was unhappy to have been overlooked in favour of Tim Paine for the Twenty20 matches, had ample time to complete any one of the three stumpings he was presented with.

Haddin's most serious error came with England on 186-5 and Pietersen on 37. David Hussey, who had surprisingly removed both Davies and Trott (6), was the unfortunate bowler - all the more so as Pietersen decided to make Australia pay immediately.

In the same over he should have been stumped, Pietersen advanced down the track to launch consecutive straight sixes off Hussey, and England seemed to be set fair for a score in excess of 300.

That was despite Bell (23) having played a loose cover-drive to be caught off the leg-spin of Smith, and Eoin Morgan (8) also hitting a catch into the infield off Smith.

With 11 overs to go England were 232-5, but Australia finally woke from their slumber. Yardy pulled Doug Bollinger to deep square-leg, and Pietersen was run out by Mitchell Johnson's kick on to the stumps in the first over of the batting power-play.

That dismissal instantly put a score of 300-plus out of range, though Tim Bresnan (28 from 27 balls) did his bit, while Shahzad and Tremlett each hit a six.

Later, all three would be put to the sword by Watson, whose innings was later described by Strauss as "one of the great one-day innings."

BBC Sport

 

Recalled Shaun Marsh struck a superb century as Australia won the second one-day international against England by 46 runs to go 2-0 up in the series.

The hosts recovered from 33-4 and then 142-8 as Marsh, who was last man out for 110, helped them reach 230 all out.

He shared an Australian ninth-wicket record of 92 with Doug Bollinger (32), who then dismissed Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen in successive balls.

Jonathan Trott (32) and Ian Bell (32) got starts, but England made only 184.

Their highest partnership was a paltry 47 between Trott and Bell and they lost wickets at regular intervals as Australia cruised to victory in the first ODI day-nighter to be played in Hobart.

After winning their third match in a row against England (two ODIs and one Twenty20 match), Michael Clarke's team have now taken control of the series ahead of the third match in Sydney on Sunday.

Having won the toss and put Australia in, dominating early on and then blowing away their middle order, England will wonder how they ended up on the receiving end of such an ignominious defeat.

For much of the home side's innings England would have been expecting to chase far less than 231, but they simply never got going under the lights and never looked like getting close to their target, a worrying indictment of their top order with a World Cup looming next month.

Wicketkeeper Matt Prior, recalled in place of Steven Davies, found his berth at the top of the order too much to handle as he edged to Shane Watson off Brett Lee for a duck as the Australians made the perfect start.

Buoyed by his batting heroics, Bollinger (4-28) then had a decisive say with the ball as he trapped Strauss plumb lbw for 19 and then forced Pietersen to play on first ball as England stumbled to 36-3.

Trott and Bell dug in and gave a glimmer of hope, but when Trott pulled a woeful long-hop from Steve Smith straight to David Hussey at midwicket and then Bell cut Lee to Smith in the gully, that hope was extinguished.

Eoin Morgan, Michael Yardy and Tim Bresnan all tried to salvage England's innings, but they had been left with too much to do and Ajmal Shahzad was last man out as England were dismissed in the 45th over.

That Australia even had a reasonable target to defend was largely down to the herculean effort of Marsh, the 27-year-old winning a recall to the side thanks to Michael Hussey's hamstring problems.

Marsh, who is not in the Aussies' 15-man World Cup squad, came to the crease with his side in all kinds of trouble at 33-4, England's pace attack having done the early damage.

Shahzad (3-43) found a beautiful line and length outside off stump from the first ball of the innings and he soon accounted for the hero of Melbourne as Watson, who struck a stunning unbeaten 161 at the MCG, played on for five in the third over.

Shahzad, Chris Tremlett and Bresnan were not giving anything away and the former's impressive consistency brought another wicket when Brad Haddin also got an inside edge on to his stumps for five.

When the out-of-sorts Michael Clarke slapped Bresnan straight to Bell at cover for 10 and then Hussey was superbly caught in the gully by Strauss off Tremlett the hosts were staring down the barrel at 33-4.

But Marsh and Cameron White (45) dropped anchor and gradually hauled their team towards respectability in putting on exactly 100, though boundaries were at a premium as England's bowlers - with spinners Yardy and James Tredwell to the fore - continued to exert control.

Marsh survived a desperately tight appeal for a stumping by Prior off Tredwell on 23, but he made the most of his good fortune and brought up his fifty in the 32nd over, clipping Shahzad off his pads.

As Australia seemed to be setting themselves up for a flourishing finish to their innings England struck in devastating fashion, taking four wickets for nine runs in five overs as the game once more swung their way.

After gloriously caressing Yardy over extra-cover for four, from the next ball White offered the bowler a return chance he snaffled away to his left, before Smith became Shahzad's third inside edge victim as his bat wafted suicidally miles away from his body.

Nathan Hauritz and Lee came and went but Bollinger, who had a previous highest ODI score of three, was determined to hang around and give Marsh a platform to try to get the Aussies to a decent total.

An Australian ninth-wicket record exceeded all expectations but there was nothing fortuitous about the stand, Bollinger more than playing his part as he rocked on to the back foot and drove the spinners sumptuously through the covers for four.

Marsh hit one seamless six to the midwicket boundary before teeing off in the 45th over, clubbing Yardy for two fours before drilling him over mid-on for a maximum to bring up his second ODI century.

Both men departed in successive balls in the 49th over as Tremlett struck, but by then Australia had enough runs in the bank to secure a second successive triumph.

BBC Sport

 

David Hussey hit an unbeaten 68 as Australia beat England by four wickets in Sydney to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the one-day series.

The home side reached 215-6 with four overs to spare after another below-par batting effort by the tourists.

They lost Matt Prior to the fifth ball of the match and Andrew Strauss was run out for 23 by partner Jonathan Trott.

Brett Lee took 3-27 and although Trott tried to atone, he ran out of partners on 84 as England were all out for 214.

It was another below-par display from England, such a contrast from the Ashes Test series, which they won 3-1.

And while they could point to the absence of key players like Kevin Pietersen (groin), Tim Bresnan (calf muscle) and Graeme Swann (knee), a fourth successive 50-over defeat so close to a World Cup campaign is undoubtedly a cause for concern.

The decision to reinstate Matt Prior at the top of the order at the expense of Steven Davies is sure to come under further scrutiny after the Sussex wicketkeeper/batsman succumbed to his second successive duck.

England have tried 17 opening combinations since the last World Cup in 2007 and may need to find another before the first match of their 2011 campaign against the Netherlands in Nagpur on 22 February.

Lee, who was consistently over 90mph, swung two away before nipping one back to trap Prior bang in front on the back pad, the only question mark about the dismissal being why England chose to refer it.

John Hastings, in only his third one-day appearance, was brought on in the sixth over, but after coming down the wicket and taking consecutive fours off his medium pacers, England skipper Andrew Strauss departed following a disastrous run out.

Trott called for a single into the off-side but then stopped in mid-pitch before both he and his captain were both running towards the bowler's end and a replay was needed before the umpires could be certain it was Strauss who had to go.

England urgently needed a substantial partnership to revive the innings, but Ian Bell fell to Shane Watson, who took an outstanding diving return catch to his left, bringing in Eoin Morgan with 37 overs of the innings still to be bowled.

England's one-day lynchpin struggled to find his timing and only managed six singles from his opening 23 balls, but having battled his way to 30 and added 57 in 70 balls with Trott, he hit a long hop from Hussey to mid-wicket where Michael Clarke took a fine catch to his left.

Paul Collingwood, recalled to the side because of Pietersen's injury, looked completely out of sorts and having got an inside edge past the stumps first ball, he was rooted back in his crease to the next one from spinner Xavier Doherty which straightened, but the distance by which Collingwood missed it as the ball clipped the off pole was baffling.

The left-arm spinner, discarded in the Ashes series after two Tests in which his three wickets cost 306 runs, added the wicket of Michael Yardy who tamely chipped a return catch and finished with 2-37.

With wickets falling regularly the situation called for some bold shots from Trott, but he was unable to hit a boundary after the 20th over.

Indeed the lack of purpose in the innings was typified by last man Chris Tremlett who failed to ground his bat as he jogged through for a single and was run out by Hussey's direct hit.

In his more accustomed role with the ball, Tremlett gave England hope by nipping one back between the bat and pad of the dangerous Watson, who scored a stunning unbeaten 161 in the first match of this series, to bowl him for nine.

Australia's centurion from Friday's match at Hobart, Shaun Marsh, was then lbw playing across the line to Ajmal Shahzad from around the wicket, a decision confirmed after a referral.

Brad Haddin ensured the score ticked along, however, backing away to launch Tremlett over cover for the first six of the match as the Australian 50 came up in the 10th over.

The combative wicketkeeper was dropped on 37 by Tremlett low at mid-off in Luke Wright's first over but skipper Michael Clarke's lean spell continued when he clipped to mid-wicket to give debutant Chris Woakes a maiden one-day scalp.

Collingwood underlined his importance with the ball on slow surfaces, striking in each of his opening two overs and claiming the key wicket of Haddin (54), who lofted straight to long-on.

A stand of 63 in 15 overs between Hussey and Steve Smith looked to have taken the game out of England's reach, before Tremlett was brought back for a final burst.

His lifting delivery was sliced way up in the air by Smith with Yardy coming to in to claim the pressure catch by the stumps at the bowler's end.

But Hussey, running well between the wickets and reading the situation expertly in the manner of his brother Mike, reached his fifth one-day fifty with a pull for six from a Yardy full toss and an unbroken half-century partnership with Hastings secured victory, leaving England with much to ponder ahead of the next match at Adelaide on Wednesday.

BBC Sport

 

England kept alive their hopes of winning the one-day series against Australia with a 21-run victory in Adelaide in the fourth match of seven.

Jonathan Trott's 102 formed the basis of England's 299-8, during which Paul Collingwood became the first Englishman to score 5,000 limited-overs runs.

Australia's innings stalled when opener Shane Watson was dismissed for 64.

A late rally by Steve Smith (46 not out) was not enough as Australia, who lead the series 3-1, finished on 278-7.

The victory was England's first against Australia in six one-day internationals and will reinvigorate a series which had been one-sided so far, and which would have headed into dead-rubber territory had the hosts emerged victorious at the Adelaide Oval.

Instead, the capacity Australia Day crowd were treated to an understated - but intelligent - display of one-day batting by Trott, who guided the tourists to a competitive total playing risk-free strokes at number three, a highly prized attribute ahead of the World Cup which begins next month.

The obdurate right-hander, a constant thorn in Australia's side during the Ashes, accumulated his second ODI century with quiet efficiency from 126 deliveries, only six of which rattled the boundary ropes.

He was pressed into action with the bat in the third over of the day when captain Andrew Strauss, who won the toss and elected to bat on a glorious track, was caught behind off Brett Lee.

England, who welcomed back James Anderson from a two-week rest and Kevin Pietersen from a groin injury, made an electric start through opener Matt Prior.

The wicketkeeper, dismissed for successive ducks in the previous two matches, was in particularly belligerent mood at the start of his innings, smearing three boundaries off Doug Bollinger's fourth over as England piled towards three figures inside the first 15 overs.

However, Trott was fortunate to survive a bizarre incident in the 15th over when the ball clattered into his stumps via a ricochet off his pad, but the bails refused to drop.

The ensuing mayhem saw both batsmen at the striker's end, but Lee's throw to the vacant bowler's end was too wide for Michael Clarke to gather, allowing Trott the valuable few seconds he needed to ground his bat to safety.

And to compound Australia's misery further, Prior brought up his only his third England one-day half century with the very next delivery, his 39th - waltzing down the track to dismiss Lee for six over long-on.

The second-wicket duo put on 113 at a decent rate when Prior, on 67, spooned a Smith long-hop to Xavier Doherty at point in the 23rd over.

Young leg-spinner Smith sent Pietersen and Ian Bell back to the pavilion within three deliveries in the 27th over as England wobbled at 158-4.

Despite the setback, Trott continued to accumulate with ease, running singles and twos with the ever-inventive Eoin Morgan, bringing up his hundred in the 38th over.

But with England poised to mount an all-out assault for a total above 300, Trott's innings was abruptly ended when a thick bottom edge off David Hussey clattered into his stumps two overs later.

And the part-time off-spinner, who finished with career-best figures of 4-21, then removed Morgan for 24 when the left-hander was caught attempting an outlandish reverse sweep.

But a late and spirited rally by Collingwood and Michael Yardy kept England on track for a 300-run target.

Collingwood's innings of 27 saw him became the first Englishman - and the 58th in world cricket - to score 5,000 ODI runs, while Yardy's 39 from 27 balls injected fresh impetus into England's innings.

Australia's riposte began briskly but lost momentum when Brad Haddin and Shaun Marsh were dismissed in quick succession at 33-2 in the seventh over.

But with Watson, who struck a match-winning 161 in the first match in Melbourne, playing muscular strokes down the ground and manipulating the strike intelligently, the hosts were within sights of chasing down England's total at a venue where they had not lost a one-day match in three years.

In contrast to Watson's fluency, Australia captain Clarke was markedly laborious, struggling to pierce the boundary with England's fielders spread around the ground during the start of the middle overs.

He managed 15 from 27 deliveries before he was bowled playing across the line to a straight delivery from the efficient Collingwood, leaving the hosts at 88-3 in the 17th over.

But Watson's pugnacious innings ended when he edged a wild slash outside off stump from Ajmal Shahzad through to Matt Prior in the 24th over.

Neither Cameron White (44) or David Hussey (28) could find the necessary tempo to push Australia's innings towards the required run-rate, fast pushing towards eight an over in the 34th over.

And inevitably, both Victorians were caught in the deep attempting boundary-hitting exploits off Trott's innocuous medium pace with pressure rapidly mounting.

Smith's improvised strokeplay in the final 10 overs gave the crowd something to cheer as the Australia Day fireworks boomed above the Adelaide Oval, while Brett Lee bludgeoned 39 from 32 deliveries.

But with 33 needed off the final over, neither batsmen could provide the additional pyrotechnics to entertain the masses.

BBC Sport

 

Australia ripped through England's batting order to seal a one-day series victory with two matches to spare.

The hosts were restricted to 249 all out in Brisbane as Chris Woakes became only the second Englishman to take six wickets in a one-day international.

But England's pursuit of a modest target faltered as they fell to 22-3.

Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell offered hope but their dismissals sparked a collapse to 198 all out as Australia took an unassailable 4-1 lead.

It was another insipid display from England's batsmen, whose poor form is a major source of concern ahead of next month's World Cup in the subcontinent.

No England player made a half-century, with most of the top order falling to poorly-executed attacking shots, which either picked out a fielder or, in the case of Matt Prior, led to his stumps being flattened.

With two matches to play in the series, only Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen are averaging more than 30, with Andrew Strauss, Prior and Ian Bell all desperately struggling to reproduce their Test match prowess in the one-day game.

Indeed, the fact that number 11 Steve Finn was third top scorer on his debut with 35 - in an England record 10th-wicket stand of 53 with James Anderson - should leave the team's more celebrated batsmen with plenty to ponder.

In contrast, England's selectors will be heartened by another efficient bowling display, underpinned by a sensational performance from Woakes, who recorded figures of 6-45.

Playing in only his second one-day international, the 21-year-old became just the second England player in 548 one-day internationals to take more than five wickets - the first being Paul Collingwood, who took 6-31 against Bangladesh in June 2005.

And although the Warwickshire seamer's rise has come too late to make the World Cup squad, it will be of some comfort to know a bowler of his calibre is waiting in the wings should one of the front-line pacemen suffer an injury during the tournament.

Woakes struck with his second ball to break an opening partnership of 48 when Shane Watson slashed straight to Collingwood at point.

Finn, making his one-day bow in place of the injured Chris Tremlett, also made an impressive impact, bowling with good pace and line and gaining his reward when Brad Haddin stepped across and was bowled through his legs for 37.

Shaun Marsh chipped Collingwood's first delivery straight to Strauss and Cameron White was caught behind off a superb delivery from Woakes, which moved away off the seam and bounced steeply before taking the edge.

David Hussey and Michael Clarke added 65 for the fifth wicket before Hussey dragged a Woakes delivery onto his stumps for 34 to give the 21-year-old his third wicket.

Captain Clarke, who entered the arena to a chorus of boos, made a battling half-century but, just when he appeared to be rediscovering his very best form, he mis-timed a pull shot and skied the ball to Strauss.

Australia were given a boost by a ragged 45th over from Shahzad, who conceded 15 runs, but in the next James Anderson arrowed a delivery through Mitchell Johnson's defences.

John Hastings clobbered three boundaries before holing out to give Woakes his fifth wicket and two balls later Brett Lee cut the ball straight to third man.

An injury to Shahzad - who later batted with a runner - meant Trott had to bowl the last over and Australia looked set to take full advantage when Doug Bollinger smashed the first ball for four.

But two deliveries later, Australia's last pair attempted a risky second run and Bollinger was run out following a fine throw from Anderson.

England's reply was swiftly undermined by two wickets in two balls.

Prior totally missed a straight ball from Brett Lee and was bowled, while Strauss pulled a short one from Doug Bollinger straight into the hands of Steven Smith at square leg.

The wickets continued to tumble in the next over as Jonathan Trott steered Lee round the corner and was caught by Bollinger at short fine leg.

Pietersen and Bell set out rebuilding the innings, maintaining a healthy pace in bringing up the 50 partnership in 60 balls.

Pietersen, scoring at a run-a-ball, was fortunate to escape on 34 when Smith floored a tricky caught and bowled chance.

But the England batsman's reprieve was short-lived as a slower ball bouncer from Hastings tempted him into a pull shot, which flew straight up into the air and was easily caught by Lee.

Eoin Morgan, so often England's saviour in the one-day game, holed out to long-off before Shane Watson accounted for Collingwood and Woakes in the same over.

Haddin then pulled off an athletic one-handed catch to remove Shahzad and leave England in tatters on 145-9.

Finn and Anderson (20 not out) frustrated the Australians with some meaty hitting before Watson clinched the victory by bowling Finn for his highest score in any form of cricket.

The match was used to help raise funds for victims of the devastating floods in Queensland state.

Players donated their match fees and shirts, while Australia Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh and former Australia opener Matthew Hayden dished out sausages to fans at a free barbecue.