Aussie service resumes

World champions Australia won their first match of the triangular series after beating England by 57 runs in Thursday's day/night one-day international here at the Riverside.

Australia's victory owed much to returning players Andrew Symonds and Brett Lee.

Symonds top-scored with 73 in Australia's 266 for five after a two-game ban imposed by Australia officials for being out late Friday saw him miss Saturday's shock five-wicket defeat against Bangladesh in Cardiff and Sunday's three-wicket loss against England in Bristol.

Then fast bowler Lee, making his tournament bow after a right shoulder injury, sparked a collapse that saw England slump to six for three.

Last-wicket pair Darren Gough (a career-best 46 not out) and Stephen Harmison (11 not out) batted out the overs with a stand of 50 as England finished on 209 for nine.

"It was a pretty important win for us in the scheme of this tournament but, more importantly than that, I think it repays us for the hard work we've put in over the last few days, particularly after Saturday's loss," Australia captain Ricky Ponting told reporters afterwards.

"As I said at the time we improved a lot going into Sunday's game and if we improved as much in this game I said we'd be pretty hard to beat and that's the way it's worked out.

"The bowling early was fantastic, McGrath and Lee really led the way for us. But we know if we do the basics of the game well we are going to be right in every contest."

He added of man-of-the-match Symonds: "It's great to have him back. He's a match-winner. The most disappointing thing was having him out.

Symonds, who put on 142 for the fourth wicket with Damien Martyn, 68 not out, said: "The important point for me is that a difficult week has finished with a win."

England stand-in captain Marcus Trescothick deputising as England captain for the injured Michael Vaughan (groin strain), admitted he may have erred in opting to field first.

"I don't think the lights had much effect but the wicket deteriorated more than I expected."

But he insisted no long-term damage had been done. "They bowled well but the confidence and spirit in the side goes deeper than one defeat and I don't think this will hurt us too much."

When England batted, Lee -- who finished with two for 27 -- immediately settled into a probing line and length.

Neither Trescothick or fellow left-hander Andrew Strauss looked comfortable and Strauss played on to Lee for three.

Trescothick, meanwhile had struggled to get bat on ball at all and, when he did, flat-footedly edged a McGrath delivery angled across him to wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist for a 15-ball nought.

It was a familiar sight from previous Anglo-Australian contests and perhaps a foretaste of things to come in the Ashes Test series.

Two balls later Paul Collingwood, returning to his Durham home ground 48 hours after becoming only the second man to score a century and take five wickets in the same one-day international, the 168-run win over Bangladesh at Trent Bridge, played on to a full McGrath delivery for nought.

England had lost three wickets for two runs in six balls.

Andrew Flintoff and Vikram Solanki then staunched the flow of wickets.

But a partnership worth 79 ended when Solanki, on 34, clipped Hogg low to mid-wicket where Australia captain Ricky Ponting took a diving catch.

England were now 85 for four with Kevin Pietersen, whose whirlwind 91 not out overpowered Australia on Sunday, the new batsman.

But England's biggest hitters were only together for 14 balls as Flintoff, for the third match in a row and second time in as many games against Hogg, holed out driving down the ground.

His 44 came off 61 balls with six fours.

And on 19 any hopes of Pietersen repeating his Sunday heroics ended when he was caught by Michael Hussey, running round the mid-wicket boundary, off Symonds, to leave England 123 for six.

Australia, whose vastly improved ground fielding denied England several boundaries, had now all but won the match.

Earlier, 6ft 7ins Hampshire paceman Chris Tremlett, fresh from taking four for 32 on debut Tuesday, had Gilchrist caught behind by wicket-keeper Geraint Jones, at the second attempt, for 18.

Ponting, out for nought and one last weekend, then found some form while making 27.

However, Durham fast bowler Harmison, who took career-best figures of five for 33 on Sunday, cramped Ponting with a bouncer and a looping cut was caught low down at third man by Ashley Giles.

Then 95 for two became 96 for three when Matthew Hayden (39) edged a drive off Flintoff. The ball went through Jones's gloves before he grabbed it to his chest and England now had two new batsmen at the crease.

However, the fourth-wicket pair stood firm before Queensland all-rounder Symonds, 30, was run out by Trescothick's direct hit on the bowler's end stumps. He faced 81 balls with two sixes and four fours.

Australia play Bangladesh at Old Trafford on Saturday before the Tigers face England again on Sunday at Headingley.