Australia beat England by five runs in a thrilling finish at Melbourne Cricket Ground yesterday to wrap up the tri-nations one-day cricket finals by two games to nil.
Fast bowler Brett Lee captured 5-30 and leg-spinning wizard Shane Warne celebrated his last one-day international at the ground with two key wickets.
England, after looking set for victory, were bowled out for 224 off 49.3 overs in reply to Australia's 229 for seven wickets from 50 overs.
Lee, who pulled the game out of the fire for Australia with a withering late burst, was named man of the match and man of the series.
In an incident-packed match, Australian middle-order batsman Michael Bevan was stretchered off the field when he tore a right groin muscle while batting.
The left-hander is considered doubtful for the one-day World Cup, starting next month in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting said winning such a tight match after not batting well would benefit his team going into the World Cup. "These sorts of tight situations... the more we get into them and come out on top -- it's obviously going to give us a lot of confidence when those big games come around," he said.
"For Brett to do the job he did tonight, and Brad Williams and a few of those guys ... was very pleasing.
"It was a very good win, to come from where we did. We were behind the eight-ball for most of the game, particularly in our innings." England captain Nasser Hussain was disappointed not to take the finals series into a decider in Adelaide Monday, but proud of the way his players reacted to Thursday's thumping by 10 wickets in the first final.
Some English players had wanted to return home briefly ahead of the World Cup and Hussain said they used debate about that as motivation. "In this game, we deserved something better," he said.
"I was very proud of my team today ... a few people have said that just because a few people want to go home, they don't want to be out there playing.
"We used that as a bit of a motive today to prove people wrong." Michael Vaughan and Alec Stewart scored 60 apiece for England, while Australian Brad Hogg continued to impress with a top score of 71 not out and 1-41 from 10 overs of left-arm spin.
England needed only six runs off the last over with two wickets left, but Lee bowled Andy Caddick (four) before last batsman Jimmy Anderson was run out by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist to end the match.
England had seemed headed for a repeat of their embarrassing loss two days earlier in the first final when they slumped to 20 for three.
But Vaughan, who scored 174 in the Boxing Day Test at the ground, again anchored the innings in impressive style.
He put on 70 with captain Nasser Hussain, who gave his wicket away when he tried to slog Hogg and was bowled for 26.
Vaughan combined for 68 with Stewart before he tried to turn a ball from Warne to leg and hit a simple catch to Ricky Ponting at mid-wicket.
Stewart then top-edged a Warne delivery to Brett Lee at point in the 42nd over to leave his side 182 for six.
Paul Collingwood, with an unbeaten 25, maintained pressure on Australia but he ran out of batting partners.
Australia won the toss and batted in searing heat, which hit 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit).
Opening bowler Caddick was in superb touch, completing his 10 overs in one spell and returning 2-23 to put the early pressure on the Australian top order.
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