Australia 318 for 6 (Gilchrist 124, Ponting 119) beat England 229 (Knight 70, White 57*) by 89 runs
Scorecard

A nasty injury to Shane Warne overshadowed another thumping victory for Australia in the second match of the VB Series at Melbourne. Just when you thought it might be safe to come out from behind the sofa to watch England, after their decent performance in the opening game on Friday, the Aussies came along and shredded them mercilessly. Freddy Krueger couldn't have done a better job.

Adam Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting made outstanding centuries during a record partnership, and on a roasting day England were simply scorched: beaten by 89 runs, and it should have been more. England were still 187 behind when their sixth wicket fell, but they took advantage of the subdued atmosphere that followed Warne's injury to make the margin vaguely respectable.

In attempting to field a straight drive, Warne's right shoulder - the same one on which he needed a serious operation for a torn rotator cuff four years ago - popped out as his elbow jarred against the turf, and after writhing in agony he was stretchered off. With the World Cup less than two months, his place appeared to be in serious jeopardy. But his shoulder was popped back in cleanly in the dressing-room, and as he was taken to hospital for scans, the prognosis was a bit more hopeful.

After Ponting won the toss in his 150th one-day international, Australia bashed 318 for 6. It was their highest total one-day total against England – though they actually should have got more – before England were bowled out for 229, despite a storming innings from Nick Knight. Unlike in the first match at Sydney, they didn't even get a point for losing here.

The match was effectively decided in the 34.2 overs that Gilchrist, whose straight-driving was as clean as a whistle, and Ponting, flipping and pulling at every opportunity, spent plundering England all round the MCG. They added 225, a record for any Australian wicket in ODIs, after Matthew Hayden scooped James Kirtley to cover in the third over. At one stage 32 runs came off just 10 balls - including 18 off the debutant James Anderson's fifth over – as they unleashed a cavalcade of delicious strokes. Between them they shared 21 fours and seven sixes.

England dropped Ponting twice, on 44 and 89, before Gilchrist finally dragged on the first ball of Anderson's second spell (240 for 2). That was Anderson's first international wicket, and in the next over Gareth Batty had his, when Michael Bevan looped an attempted paddle back onto his stumps (247 for 3).

Ponting holed out off Ian Blackwell, Damien Martyn was hoodwinked by Craig White's slower ball, and Shane Watson top-edged a sweep. England did pretty well to keep the last nine overs down to 51 runs. But with a target of 319, there was only ever going to be one winner.

The pitch had looked a belter, yet it was inevitable that Australia's bowlers would find blood in the stone. Trescothick sliced to Matthew Hayden at point (13 for 1), the first time he had fallen to his nemesis Jason Gillespie in one-dayers. Then, six balls later, Ronnie Irani turned ponderously for the first of three idiotic run-outs in England's innings. He now has two ducks in this series, and four out of five in one-dayers in Australasia.

After Knight smacked Glenn McGrath for consecutive boundaries on the way to a searing 70 from 68 balls, Nasser Hussain (19) scuffed a sweep off Warne back onto his stumps via the back of the bat (76 for 3). Then Owais Shah got a leading-edge off Warne and McGrath took a spectacular catch running back, before Alec Stewart paid the price for playing tip-and-run to Michael Bevan at mid-on (92 for 5).

After an early life, Blackwell clumped Warne for two sixes on the way to 43, before Knight was conned by the slowest of slower balls from Watson.

Then came Warne's injury, after which Australian minds didn't quite seem on the job. White helped himself to his first one-day fifty, but it didn't really matter. All eyes were on the MCG's favourite son, and more specifically his right shoulder.

Rob Smyth is assistant editor of Wisden.com.

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