Perth, Australia: Glenn Maxwell made 95 and shared a 141-run partnership with Mitchell Marsh to steer Australia to 278-8 after being sent in to bat by England in Sunday's one-day tri-series final at the WACA Ground.
Maxwell beat his previous-highest score in one-day internationals of 93 and broke a recent scoring drought with an innings which rallied Australia after it had been 60-4 in the 18th over.
He hit Chris Woakes for four fours in five balls in the 40th over, and departed just short of a maiden century when he top-edged an attempted hook off Stuart Broad and was caught by wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.
Marsh made 60 in his first innings in the tri-series, compiling his fourth half century in one-day internationals from 64 balls before being run out in the 44th over.
James Faulkner performed strongly in the closing overs, hitting a six off the final ball to reach 50 not out from just 24 balls.
England captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and decided to bowl, mindful that the pitch at the WACA on which his team played India on Friday provided variable bounce and that every match in the series so far has been won by the team batting second.
James Anderson dismissed Aaron Finch with the third ball of the match, a delivery which swung and bounced and which Finch sparred to Joe Root at first slip.
Anderson bowled an outstanding opening spell of six overs, two of which were maidens and from which he took 2-11. But the pressure England tried to impose was lessened by a poor opening spell from Chris Woakes, who took the other new ball and conceded 29 runs from four overs.
Woakes finished with humbling figures of 0-89 from his 10 overs, giving up almost a third of Australia's runs.
Steve Smith steadied the Australia innings after the loss of Finch and David Warner (12) who also fell to a ball from Anderson which spat from just short of a length and was fended to James Taylor at backward point.
Captain George Bailey fell for 2 to a sharply rising delivery from Broad which flew to Taylor in an unusual, bat-pad catching position.
Smith batted calmly through that period, scoring 40 from 50 balls to lift Australia to 60-4. He had scored two centuries in his previous five one-day innings and seemed set for another large score. But Smith, who likes to move across his stumps and play to the leg side, moved too far and missed a ball from Moeen Ali. He was stumped by Buttler who first dropped the ball but recovered it on the bounce before the batsman regained his ground.
Ali bowled a sound 10 overs, taking 1-39 through the middle of the innings and Broad returned to dismiss Maxwell and Brad Haddin (9) to finish with 3-55. Anderson remained the pick of the England bowlers, taking 2-38 from his 10 overs.
