BIRMINGHAM (AFP) - Damien Martyn and Michael Clarke took world champions Australia to an imposing target of 259 for nine against England in their ICC Champions Trophy semi-final at Edgbaston.
Martyn's 65 was the centrepiece but Clarke's 34-ball 42 added vital late impetus with England looking for their first one-day international victory against Australia after 14 straight defeats.
Fast bowler Darren Gough took three for 48, including two wickets in two balls, while captain Michael Vaughan, an occasional off-spinner, returned economical figures of two for 42 in 10 overs.
Australia, 198 for five off 40 overs, added 61 runs in the last 10 and 41 in the last five.
Openers Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden got Australia off to a brisk start after Vaughan won the toss and elected to field on a grey, windy day in front of a less than half-full crowd.
Vaughan replaced Gough after three expensive overs costing 18 runs with star all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.
The change almost brought a wicket when Flintoff's sixth ball was cut by Gilchrist (18), to gully where Marcus Trescothick dropped the two-handed catch.
But Trescothick, now at slip, caught a driving Hayden (17) off fast bowler Stephen Harmison before Gilchrist pulled and cut the Durham paceman for four.
However the wicket-keeper fell for 37 when a cut off Gough was held by Trescothick in the floating slip position.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting and Martyn moved the score on to 114 for two at the half-way stage.
But one ball later Ponting, on 29, saw a lofted drive off left-arm spinner Ashley Giles well-caught above his head by Gough, on the long-on boundary.
And two balls later Giles, on his Warwickshire home ground, almost had another wicket when he dropped a sharp caught and bowled chance following a fiercely struck drive by Martyn, then on 24.
Vaughan though broke the stand when he bowled Yorkshire team-mate Lehmann for a 42-ball 38 after the left-hander missed an extravagant pull.
Martyn and Lehmann had put on a near risk-free 75 in just 82 balls to leave Australia well-placed at 189 for four in the 39th over.
But five balls later they saw dangerman Andrew Symonds run out for nought by Vaughan, sprinting in from cover to whip the bails off at the striker's end after the batsman set off after surviving Harmison's lbw appeal.
Australia, however, were still on course for a total well in excess of 250.
But Vaughan then removed Martyn with the aid of Trescothick's third catch of the innings, a well-judged effort on the mid-wicket rope off a chipped drive. Martyn faced 91 balls with six fours, Australia 210 for six in the 43rd over.
Fast bowler Brett Lee drove Gough for a superb straight six but was clean bowled next ball. And Gough then bowled Jason Gillespie before Michael Kasprowicz survived the hat-trick.
Clarke's fine innings, featuring five fours, ended when he was bowled by Flintoff in the last over.