Morgan the man as England beat Aussie

Julian Guyer

Eoin Morgan's unbeaten 103 saw England to a come from behind four-wicket win over Australia in the first one-day international at the Rose Bowl here on Tuesday.

England, chasing 268 for victory, were in dire straits at 97 for four.

But former Ireland batsman Morgan's second one-day hundred for his adopted country turned the tide and gave England a 1-0 lead in this five match series.

He ended the match and went to his hundred in the process by crashing paceman Ryan Harris down the ground for four, having faced 85 balls with 16 boundaries as England won with exactly four overs to spare.

"I've been in good nick for a while now and I want to play more cricket to take advantage of it," said Morgan.

"I think I try to keep things quite simple and it's easy to do when you're in good nick - it came off today, so happy days."

Delighted England captain Andrew Strauss hailed Middlesex colleague Morgan's display by saying: "What a fantastic innings from Eoin Morgan - that was one of the best I've seen."

Australia captain Ricky Ponting added: "We were probably a bit below with our batting. Morgan played very, very well. We were a long way below our best but still remained competitive, that's a positive."

Turning to Morgan, he added: "He played, very, very well. But the way our quicks and medium-pacers bowled to him, we gave him too many boundary options."

World champions Australia arrived in England without injured quicks Brett Lee, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus. But having made 267 for seven, featuring vice-captain Michael Clarke's unbeaten 87, it seemed they would make light of their inexperienced attack. However, a fifth-wicket stand of 95 in 92 balls between left-hander Morgan and Luke Wright swung the match back England's way before the latter was lbw for 36 to paceman Ryan Harris.

England, looking to complete a treble over Australia after winning last year's Ashes and last month's World Twenty20 final against their oldest rivals, were now 192 for five. But the required rate was under a run-a-ball.

Tim Bresnan (27) then helped fellow World Twenty20 winner Morgan take England to the brink of victory.

Australia had won eight of their last nine one-dayers against England but they had no answer to Morgan's sparkling display under the floodlights.

England suffered an early setback when Strauss, who'd struck two fours, was caught behind off a Harris delivery for 10.

Craig Kieswetter, man-of-the-match in the World Twenty20 final with a rapid 63, again scored briskly.

And debutant teenage quick Josh Hazlewood, Australia's youngest one-day international, saw his first ball, a full toss, driven down the ground for four by Kevin Pietersen, who subsequently drove Watson for a boundary.

But Watson had his revenge when Pietersen, on 29, miscued to Ponting at backward point.

Kieswetter then hooked Hazlewood for the match's first six. However, Hazlewood clean bowled Kieswetter for 38. England, who had been 75 for one, were now 81 for three.

And that became 97 for four when Twenty20 winning captain Paul Collingwood, holed out off Watson to James Hopes at mid-off.

But Morgan, reverse-sweeping off-spinner Nathan Hauritz for four and Wright, driving Watson for a straight six, stopped the rot Earlier, Clarke faced 97 balls in an innings where the next best score was Hopes's 34.

The series continues with a day/nighter at Cardiff on Thursday. SOUTHAMPTON, AFP