Cricket: Ricky Ponting's Australia maintained their one-day domination of England with a crushing nine-wicket victory in the semi-final of the Champions Trophy. The captain and Shane Watson both hit unbeaten hundreds in a new Australian record one-day stand of 252, to steer their team to their 258-run target with more than eight overs to spare.
Ponting's undefeated 111 under the lights at Centurion was his 28th one-day international hundred, and he became the first Australian and only the third batsman in all to register 12,000 runs in the process. It also charged him to the top of the tournament's scorers' chart and kept the Australians on course to claim their fourth 50-over crown in five attempts.
Opener Watson capped a fine personal all-round display by weighing in with 136 not out, getting to three figures with his third six, and striking seven in all thanks to a late flurry, as holders Australia followed up their 6-1 NatWest Series win in true style.
Having posted 257 thanks to a career-best 80 from all-rounder Tim Bresnan, England's hopes of a second straight win against their Ashes rivals rested on taking early wickets.
Graham Onions provided one when he had Tim Paine caught behind in just the second over but there were no further inroads as the absence of Stuart Broad through injury limited potency.
Four free runs for Ponting at the end of the seventh over - when Eoin Morgan inexplicably hurled the ball over the head of debutant wicketkeeper Steven Davies - provided the momentum at the start of the chase.
It was not relinquished as Ponting guided James Anderson's next two deliveries for four to make it three in a row and the early pressure had been relieved.
Ponting, 34, was in imperious mood and having reached 50 off 58 balls, he batted in cruise control to 100, taking a further 46 to double his tally.
Watson played the supporting role but twice cleared the boundary nevertheless to put himself on the verge of a third century for his country, the first off Graeme Swann offering a half-chance to Luke Wright, who tumbled over the rope at long-on.
His arms were raised in triumph when he pulled Anderson over deep midwicket in the 38th over.
The second innings was delayed by a quarter-of-an-hour by a swarm of flying ants.
England were only in the contest at the halfway stage after Bresnan's muscular approach reaped reward in a 107-run stand for the seventh wicket with Luke Wright (48).
Bresnan put his off-field antics behind him to resuscitate an innings in freefall at 101 for six.
Forced to apologise for offensive language on social networking site Twitter on Thursday, the 24-year-old let his bat do the talking registering his highest score in all one-day cricket.
It was only the 21st over when he arrived at the crease but from the realms of despair, Bresnan registered his maiden international 50 from just 53 balls, celebrating the England 200 simultaneously.
This was only the third time he had done so in any limited-overs contest and he rattled along at better than a run-a-ball before Brett Lee demolished his stumps in the 47th over.
His magnificent alliance with Wright threatened an even bigger total until his seventh-wicket partner succumbed from the final delivery of the 40th over.
Wright upped the tempo with two huge sixes off spinner Nathan Hauritz but perished for 48 when he edged behind off the returning Peter Siddle.
England's batting troubles against Australia had resurfaced in the first half of the innings.
Andrew Strauss' team, whose under-par totals contributed to their NatWest Series mauling last month, stuttered after winning the toss.
Despite registering 323 for eight, their sixth-highest 50-over score, against South Africa on the same ground last week, their travails when faced with the men in green and gold returned.
Although Paul Collingwood marked his milestone England appearance by launching a savage counter-attack, his 55-run stand with Joe Denly proved a fleeting reprieve from the tumble of wickets.
Collingwood, equalling Alec Stewart's record of 170 England one-day caps, was just four shy of the 206 runs compiled by Graeme Smith, then leading run scorer in this tournament, when he gloved an attempted pull off Mitchell Johnson, last night named the International Cricket Council's player of the year.
Denly was eventually out for 36 shortly after the drinks break - which turned attention to a bee-keeper's attempts to remove a swarm from one of the television cameras - when consolidation was necessary.
A swish at the returning Peter Siddle provided Australian wicketkeeper Paine with the third of his five catches.
When debutant Davies, in for virus victim Matt Prior, and left-hander Morgan then succumbed in consecutive Watson overs, England had lost half-a-dozen wickets inside the first half of their innings.
Strauss was positive but was brilliantly caught low down at square-leg by Hopes off the same bowler.
When Owais Shah succumbed second ball, taken down the leg-side by Paine off Brett Lee, England were rocking.