For the second year in a row, the second final of the Carlton & United One-Day Series has been postponed a day because of bad weather. And for the second time this season, a day's play in an MCG international has been washed out after the toss and the national anthems have been held. But that was yesterday... today, as organisers attempt to get the second final between Australia and England under way, the weather looks to be a slight improvement on Friday's gloom.

Australia need to win today's match to wrap up the final series, England need a win to draw level at 1-1 and force the finals to a third match tomorrow. Yesterday's toss and team announcements are null and void and today's match will start afresh. Morning rain has delayed the start of play. A commencement is expected at 2.45pm local time, fifteen minutes late. There will not be a reduction of overs.

Shane Warne has won the toss and elected to bat first. Australia have made one enforced change from Wednesday's first final - Stuart Law replacing Michael Bevan (finger injury). England's eleven is unchanged.

After 10 overs: Australia 1/38 (Gilchrist 22, Ponting 13)

In front of a very small crowd in overcast conditions, Gough and Mullally both got some bounce and movement off the seam, and the first two overs of the match were both maidens. Gilchrist cut loose with two boundaries on either side of the field in the third over. Waugh (1) fell in the fourth over of the innings, edging to Hick at second slip off the bowling of Mullally. Some good tight bowling by the English duo have restrained the Australians in a spell that could make all the difference if the match goes the full 50 overs for each side. Both Gilchrist and new batsman Ricky Ponting have played some streaky shots to try and break the shackles.

After 20 overs: Australia 2/95 (Gilchrist 50, Lehmann 2)

Ealham replaced Gough in the 11th over - perhaps a premature change, Australia duly celebrating by scoring 11 runs from his first over. With Wells replacing Mullally the pressure started to come off, especially in the case of Gilchrist. At the end of the field restrictions after fifteen overs, Australia were 1/68, of which Gilchrist had contributed forty. Ponting pulled the first six of the day over mid-wicket from a Wells short ball at the end of the sixteenth over. Croft replaced Ealham and was vocally disappointed when a confident lbw appeal against Ponting was turned down by umpire Harper, but it was Adam Hollioake who broke a partnership which was looking increasingly dangerous. Hollioake's first ball of the day was pulled by Ponting (37) to a diving Fairbrother at short mid-on, the partnership with Gilchrist worth 81. Gilchrist, whose last innings on this ground was the small order of 154, brought up his fifty from 61 balls.

After 30 overs: Australia 3/135 (Lehmann 26, Martyn 12)

Gilchrist's innings came to end when he swept Croft to deep square leg and Nick Knight took a good catch low down a short way inside the boundary. The Australian wicketkeeper made 52. Tight bowling by Croft and Hollioake contained Lehmann and new batsman Damien Martyn.

After 40 overs: Australia 3/193 (Lehmann 54, Martyn 37)

Croft (1/40) bowled tidily in his ten over spell giving up just one boundary. Gough's return to the attack did nothing but add to the run rate, which was starting to lift towards five. Lehmann, despite apparently developing a slight limp, brought up his 50 in 59 deliveries, with Martyn giving solid support. Hollioake's ten over spell was worth 1/39. A total in excess of 250 appeared within Australia's reach.

Australia innings 5/272 (Law 20, Lee 20)

Another fine innings by Darren Lehmann came to an end when he failed to control a deflection to third man, top edging to Nasser Hussain at gully off the bowling of Wells. Hampered by a leg injury of some description, Lehmann scored 71 from 75 deliveries, his fourth wicket stand with Damien Martyn was worth 112. Martyn brought up his 50 with a six to mid-wicket off Wells, the half-century taking 72 deliveries. He had a life shortly afterwards when Hollioake dropped a sitter at mid-off. Mullally removed him in the 48th over, bowled middle and off going for a slog in frustration. Martyn made 57 from 80 balls. Mullally removed him in the 48th over, bowled middle and off going for a slog in frustration. Martyn made 57 from 80 balls.

With Law and Lee going for quick runs in the final overs, England's fragile fielding was under more pressure, Hick acrobatically spilling a relatively straightforward catch off Lee at midwicket.

With Australia already safely past 250 entering the fiftieth over, Mullally bowled the final over of the innings. It was a disaster for England, Shane Lee lifting two consecutive sixes over mid-wicket and taking seventeen off the over. Lee took just nine balls to reach 20 not out, Australia's 5/272 surely well beyond their expectations. Fifty-two runs were taken off the last six overs of the innings.

All five wickets were spread around for England, but they will have a very tough task ahead of them tonight if they are to keep the Carlton & United One-Day Series alive. The weather appears to have cleared for now, but with the possibility of storms still around later this evening, any adjustment to the run target for England will be disastrous. In any event, 273 will be a big enough challenge.

After 10 overs: England 4/32 (Stewart 23, Wells 5)

Disaster in the second over of the England innings. Nick Knight pushed to short cover for a suicidal single. Alec Stewart said no, Knight was forced back, but Ponting made an easy return to Gilchrist to catch the batsman out of his ground.

Hick came and went without scoring. From the second ball he faced, he lashed out at a McGrath ball wide of off, taken by Adam Dale looking straight into the sun at deep third man.

England 2/10. Nasser Hussain came to the crease. He waved at a delivery outside of off stump. Gilchrist took the ball, gave a half-hearted appeal. The other fieldsmen were more vociferous, and umpire Darryl Harper agreed that Hussain had taken a faint edge. England 3/10. Neil Fairbrother put bat on ball to prevent the hat-trick. When he came back on strike next over, he immediately edged Dale to Gilchrist. No controversy this time. Fairbrother a second-ball duck, the third no-score of the innings so far, England 4/13.

Stewart was playing well but it must have been frustrating for him watching the mass suicide 22 yards away.

After 20 overs: England 6/64 (Wells 18, Ealham 2)

Brendon Julian replaced McGrath (who now has the record for the most wickets in an Australian one-day series) after his six-over spell. Julian's second ball was lofted by Stewart and claimed by Shane Lee at mid-off. Stewart gone for 32, England 5/43, needing just another 230 for victory.

Adam Hollioake scored seven before being given out edging to the keeper off Adam Dale. The tv replay seemed to indicate that the ball missed the bat and took his back pad, but umpire Hair upheld the appeal. England 6/50.

It was almost seven down when Warne dropped a simple catch at second slip from Wells off the bowling of Julian. Later in the over Ponting grassed a difficult one-handed chance at mid-off. England were 6/51 after fifteen overs.

Darren Lehmann is not fielding in the England innings, having hurt his back while batting. Mike Kasprowicz is on the field as twelfth man, with Victorian batsman Brad Hidge doing substitute duties. There is a real threat of storms closing in. Twenty-five overs need to be bowled for a match to be declared. If the game is curtailed after that, Australia will be well ahead on the run-rate calculation.

After 30 overs: England 8/97 (Croft 12, Gough 5)

With the weather closing in fast, the seventh wicket fell when Shane Warne beat Vince Wells with a leg-break which clipped his off stump. When the 25th over ended, England were 7/87 and the game became a match. In the next over Ealham was bowled by Warne going for a lazy slog. Croft and Gough batted on to prolong the slow death of this match.

England all out 110. Australia win by 162 runs.

After the dismissal of Gough (11), the end came on the fifth ball of the 32nd over when Shane Warne got his flipper to work and trapped Alan Mullally plumb lbw. The last umpiring decision of the 1998-99 international season was given by Darrell Hair and Australia had won their 12th home one-day series in 20 years of competition. The second final a sad anticlimax, the 162 run margin being the largest in any finals match in Australia. A total contrast to the excitement of Wednesday's ten run victory. Darren Lehmann won the man of the match. The man of the series was a tie between Glenn McGrath and Graeme Hick.

In front of a crowd of about 25000 the runners-up cheque for $25,000 was presented to England captain Alec Stewart before the Australian players collected their winners medals. Shane Warne received the cheque for $50,000 on behalf of the Australian team and lifted the Carlton & United One-Day Trophy.

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