Aussies rout England by 7 wickets

St Peter's, Antigua, Apr 9 (UNI) Spearheaded by skipper Ricky Ponting's 86, a rampaging Australia drubbed England by seven wickets at Sir Vivian Richards ground here to record their third straight win in the Super Eight league and book a berth in the World Cup semi-finals.

Michael Vaughan elected to bat after winning the toss and Kevin Pietersen scored his maiden century (104) against Australia, putting up 140-run third wicket partnership with Ian Bell (77) as England scored 247 before being all out in 49.5 overs.

The two-time defending champions, in reply, overcame early hiccups and then made light of the target scoring 248 for three in 47.2 overs.

In the process, Australia took a sweet revenge of the defeats they had suffered at the hands of England in the Commonwealth Bank one-day series early this year.

The defeat, their second in a row, have made England's position precarious in the league and they now will have to win all the remaining matches to keep their hopes alive for the last four berth.

The Aussies threatened to race away with their run chase as Matthew Hayden muscled his way to 41, but England just about kept themselves in the match with a committed effort in the field. Andrew Flintoff and Paul Collingwood both struck in their opening overs.

England's pacers -- James Anderson and Sajid Mahmood -- failed to contain the openers but created enough problems for them as both Hayden and Gilchrist were was lucky to have survived confident LBW appeals in first couple of overs.

However, Hayden and Gilchrist displayed patience as they just went after the loose deliveries. They displayed no frills or buoyancy but waited for the balls deserved to be hit.

Anderson's line and length was wayward and was treated harshly by both openers while Mahmood was hardly effective with his slower ones.

The 50 for the first wicket came in 9.3 overs (60 balls), but Andrew Flintoff brought in as first change earned England the much needed break through when he got rid off Gilchrist of his sixth ball. The wicketkeeper-opener drove loosely and Collingwood, at point, took an easy catch.

Australia thus lost their first wicket in the 11th over with score reading 57. Gilchrist's contribution being 27 (5x4, 37 balls) and skipper Ricky Ponting came in to join Hayden.

Vaughan brought in spinner Monty Panesar from the other end and he along with Flintoff halted the Australian run spree.

Ponting escaped an edge past leg stump off Flintoff but then he effortlessly drove Panesar to make his presence felt.

However 32 runs and 9.1 overs later Collingwood provided England with another much needed breakthrough, as he with his first ball, had Hayden's stump clipped and Australia were 89 for 2 in 19.1 overs.

Hayden made 41 off 50 balls hitting six boundaries.

Michael Clarke joined Ponting and both took time to steadied their innings and scoring became painfully slow. The Australians refused to take risk as they had their plans. In next ten overs Ponting and Clarke added only 33 runs to their team's total which at that stage read 134 for two (after 30 overs).

But after that Ponting pressed the accelerator and Clarke gave him full support from other end as England bowlers wilted under the ferocious onslaught from the Aussies. The run rate which at one stage looked ominous for the defending champion suddenly started moving so fast that the target looked very easy.

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