England finally beat Australia
Andrew Symonds is in doubt for next week's tri-series finals, adding to the pain of Australia's upset 92-run loss to England in the one-day international at the SCG.
After three months in Australia, Andrew Flintoff's side finally beat Australia, winning the toss and scoring their highest total of the series, 7-292.
Man-of-the-match Ed Joyce top-scored for England with his maiden century (107 off 142 balls) and shared a 111-run stand for the second wicket with Ian Bell (51).
Glenn McGrath (2-51) and wayward debutant paceman Shaun Tait (2-68) led Australia's attack which conceded 19 wides and struggled in the absence of Brett Lee, who was rested.
Dublin-born Joyce was also dropped twice, on six by Tait and on 59 from a difficult return chance for Symonds.
Pursuing what would have been a record successful run chase at the SCG, Australia made 200 in 38.5 overs with only Matthew Hayden (51) and fellow Queenslander Symonds (39) doing anything with the bat, leaving the crowd of 34,928 strangely subdued.
But with skipper Ricky Ponting missing the match with a hip injury and hopeful of returning for Sunday's match in Melbourne against New Zealand, Australia are also sweating on the fitness of Symonds, who retired hurt with a biceps-muscle injury.
"You'd have to suspect it's reasonably serious if it dragged him off the field. But we'll know more after the scan," acting captain Adam Gilchrist said of the star all-rounder.
"I think he played one shot where the ball sliced over the off-side and that motion of pushing the arm through strained something up around (the biceps)."
The loss snapped Australia's 10-match winning streak in one-day internationals.
With Australia already guaranteed a place in the finals, Gilchrist was forced to defend his team's attitude to the match.
"Not at all. We were out there to play and we were up for it," he said.
"But at the start of the game we just couldn't execute what we wanted to.
"We couldn't sustain any real pressure with the ball for any length of time.
"We couldn't get any (batting) partnerships going.
"The first ball of the innings (Gilchrist's first-ball duck) set the tone for the rest of the night.
"Yes I'm disappointed. No doubt they'd be elated after a very tough summer.
"What I do know is they won and we lost and we have to get the momentum back now on Sunday (against New Zealand).
"I don't think it's being unbeaten all year. We'll definitely face them (England) at the World Cup I would imagine, so it's just allowing them that little bit of foot inside the door if you like.
"But we've got a lot of cricket to play between now and then so it's not all doom and gloom.
"It reinforces the disappointment of losing."
England's win, their first in 10 matches against Australia on this tour, was skipper Flintoff's second in 11 matches leading the side.
Having claimed their first bonus point of the series, England are now level with New Zealand on nine points with Australia on 27.
England and New Zealand clash in the last round-robin match on Tuesday in Brisbane, with the best-of-three finals series starting in Melbourne on February 9.
Flintoff said Joyce's century was a "great hundred" and gave his bowlers tremendous self-belief knowing they had a score of 292 to defend.
"We got on a roll and we didn't let up," an elated Flintoff said.
"We're still in this tournament. We're still fighting.
"It has been the young lads who've won the game for us. The lads who haven't got a great deal of experience, the likes of Joycey, Ian Bell, Sajid Mahmood (2-38) and Liam Plunkett (3-24), they've carried us through today and that does give you a lot of heart.
"Tuesday night is going to be another huge game."
England batsman Mal Loye, who was struck on the jaw trying to sweep McGrath, had three stitches in his chin and is in doubt for Tuesday's game.
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