Maxwell, Marsh and Faulkner deliver big win

Australia served one final ominous warning before the World Cup with a demolition of England's challenge in the final of the triangular series. It is all the more ominous because England had them down at 4 for 60 on an overcast morning, but Australia found a way. Not just to claw back but to dominate. Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh added 141 runs of mindful mayhem for the fifth wicket before James Faulkner unleashed unadulterated mayhem of 50 off 24 balls. The returning Mitchell Johnson then drove the final nail in with a ferocious spell to rip through the England top order.

Maxwell went from sensible to sensational despite a few hiccups during the transition, clocking his personal best - 95 off 98 - heralding a period in which Australia turned around the morning. They took 132 off the last 15 overs, with Faulkner finishing off what Maxwell and Marsh began.

The afternoon couldn't have been more different to the morning when impressive swing and seam bowling from James Anderson and Stuart Broad left Australia in trouble. After inviting Australia to bat on a tricky pitch and under an overcast sky, Anderson bowled beautiful outswingers to get Aaron Finch out in the first over before the extra bounce from the WACA pitch accounted for David Warner. Broad bounced out the struggling George Bailey to make it 3 for 46. Thirty-two of those 46 had come off the bat of Steven Smith who looked like playing on a different surface. With falling wickets came caution, and when he overbalanced against Moeen Ali he didn't bother to look behind himself. Jos Buttler had fumbled the take, but Smith's assumption that he was gone allowed Buttler time to stump him.

That wicket brought together Maxwell and Marsh in the 18th over. Australia now needed them to bat into the last 10 overs. Maxwell's ball faced per innings before this final: 21. Marsh: 33. The situation called for cool heads, and the two seemed to have come straight out of eskies. They didn't bat themselves into a hole, not missing out on loose deliveries. The run rate remained under four, but it didn't seem to bother them.

At 4 for 115 in the 30th over, 61 deliveries behind him, Maxwell tried his first reverse sweep. Surely he hasn't waited longer ever? That he found the fielder at point with his first attempt didn't seem to bother Maxwell. Two balls later he brought up his fifty with a finer reverse paddle. Marsh had been quiet - 12 off 25 - until then. Over the next few minutes Maxwell became edgy, especially against Steven Finn who troubled him with the ball jagging back in from just short of a length. That's when Marsh assumed charge, hitting Finn for two fours, taking some of the heat off Maxwell.

Australia went into the Batting Powerplay at 4 for 146, and seemed headed for a total above par on this pitch, but Maxwell wanted more. Even as Marsh took a perfectly acceptable 13 off 15 in the Powerplay, Maxwell pulled out all the guns from all his holsters and went at England left, right and centre. Apart from an almost impossible low offering to Ravi Bopara diving forward at short cover, England had no chance in the Powerplay that brought Australia 46 runs.

Anderson was slogged, Woakes was reverse-pulled among other things as Maxwell hit seven fours in that Powerplay. Having reached 95 with a slashed boundary off the last ball of the Powerplay, Maxwell tried to get to his hundred with a six. He died by the same sword, but how he lived. Marsh kept hitting powerfully - one straight drill had hit the advertising boards even before you could look up - but just when he too was threatening to better his personal best of 89, he was run out by an ordinary call from Brad Haddin.

Marsh was 60 when he fell in the 44th over, and Australia had to slow down with wickets falling. England would have thought they were still in with a chance, but Faulkner, who loves pooping parties, did so with delight again. England bowled poorly once he began to ping the on side. He hit Woakes, in the 49th over, for three sixes and a four to taking Australia to a total they will feel pretty comfortable with. Just to provide the exclamation, he swung the last ball of the innings for a massive six over midwicket to bring up his fifty.

England didn't have much of a chance chasing this total down, but Australia wanted to finish them off in style. After Josh Hazlewood got Ian Bell's outside edge early, Johnson was unleashed. Bailey has been saying into the lead-up that he would rather Johnson troubled the opposition than facing up to him in the nets. Soon Johnson showed why. He hit 90mph without wasting time, and the England batsmen began to hop around.

James Taylor was caught off the shoulder of the bat, but the replays showed the delivery to be more no-ball than not. Moeen, who has shown a weakness against fast short-pitched deliveries, was soon out fending. Eoin Morgan got an accurate cutter next ball, and had his off stump pinged. Bopara avoided the hat-trick, but at 4 for 46 the game was over. Not that there was any doubt about it once Maxwell went in that Powerplay.