Collingwood inspires England win

Cricket:  Paul Collingwood's second consecutive hundred led England to victory over Australia in the first Commonwealth Bank…

Cricket: Paul Collingwood's second consecutive hundred led England to victory over Australia in the first Commonwealth Bank Series final.

The 30-year-old hit an unbeaten 120, his highest score in one-day internationals, to guide his side to a four-wicket win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Fittingly, he finished things when he struck Nathan Bracken through midwicket for a single in the final over of the match.

A late stutter threatened to derail England's bid but, with 25 needed from the final three overs, Collingwood took responsibility.

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Twice in as many balls he shovelled boundaries to the legside off Shane Watson to alter the balance.

And with veteran Paul Nixon beavering away at the other end to rotate the strike, he drove another four down the ground off Glenn McGrath to leave four needed from seven deliveries.

Collingwood engineered the second fightback of the day in tandem with Ian Bell.

The pair shared an impressive stand of 133 for the fourth wicket to counter early Australian dominance in the chase of 253.

Bell took advantage of being dropped by Glenn McGrath, at deep square-leg off Nathan Bracken, to hit 65. McGrath's gaffe came with Bell on 18 and England vulnerable on 33 for three.

Andrew Flintoff's men lost those three wickets inside the first half-a-dozen overs, in fact, to heavily jeopardise their chance of going 1-0 up in the best-of-three final.

Openers Mal Loye and Ed Joyce succumbed to paceman Brett Lee while Andrew Strauss was pinned lbw by Bracken after playing around his front pad.

Initially intent on containing the damage, the fourth-wicket duo upped the tempo impressively. From a position of 41 for three after 15 overs, they launched 48 from the next six.

A collection of ones and twos kept the required rate down to a reasonable level but when Lee produced a fearsome yorker to knock back Bell's off stump Australia had a sniff.

Just as the game appeared in the bag, however, Flintoff feathered a catch behind off Watson.

When Jamie Dalrymple was sacrificed in the following over, run out trying to steal a single to point, 28 were still required from 23 deliveries.

Earlier England produced an outstanding riposte in the field dismiss the Australians for 252.  PA