Australia trounce England to take 3-0 lead

SYDNEY: David Warner made 71 and Shaun Marsh was unbeaten on the same score as Australia beat England by seven wickets in the third one-day cricket international Sunday to take a winning 3-0 lead in the five match series.

The win heaped more torment on England who were beaten 5-0 in the five-test Ashes series and now face defeat on a similar scale in the shorter form of the game.

Nathan Coulter-Nile took 3-47 as Australia restricted England to 243-9 after the tourists batted upon winning the toss and Warner and Marsh carefully managed a run chase that saw the home side win with 10 overs to spare.

Captain Alastair Cook, who again had to search for explanations for a poor England performance, said his team had fallen 30 to 40 runs short of a competitive total on a sound batting pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

Australia was never hurried and never lost its composure in its pursuit of England´s total. While Warner scored his 71 runs from 70 balls with seven fours and two sixes, he wasn´t always the dashing batsman he has been in the past.

He put on 43 for the first wicket with Aaron Finch in a steady partnership and had guided Australia to 121-2 in the 21st over when he was caught at cover by Ian Bell off Ben Stokes.

Marsh then took control of the run chase and, in a patient and carefully measured innings, reached his 71 runs from 89 balls in 141 minutes. He had help from captain Michael Clarke who made 34 and veteran Brad Haddin who was 37 not out at the close.

Warner was judged man of the match for his innings and for his brilliant run out of opener Bell that delivered a heavy blow to England´s innings and its confidence.

Earlier, Eion Morgan made 54 to again provide the backbone of the innings as England reached 243-9. Morgan followed his brilliant century in Friday´s second international at Brisbane with a half century from 54 balls but his was largely a lone effort in a tired and directionless England batting performance. (AP)