December 16, 2002	Monday	Shawwal 11, 1423

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MELBOURNE, Dec 15: Australia easily won the second triangular series one-day match against England here on Sunday but lost leg-spinner Shane Warne for the remainder of the Ashes series.

Warne dislocated his shoulder diving to stop a ball off his own bowling and will be out of action for four to six weeks at least. The fifth and final Ashes Test begins in Sydney on Jan 2 with the World Cup starting in South Africa in the following month.

The freak injury followed a record Australia total against England in a One-day International when they smashed 318 for six from their 50 overs.

Captain Ricky Ponting (119) and Adam Gilchrist (124) shared a record Australia partnership of 225 for the second wicket against any team.

England opener Nick Knight, fresh from an unbeaten 111 in Friday’s loss to Australia in Sydney, made 70 on Sunday in England’s reply of 229 all out in 48 overs. Australia’s total was their highest against England, beating the previous mark of 283 for five in Brisbane in 1990-91.

It was also Australia’s ninth consecutive win in One-day Internationals against England and Nasser Hussain’s side have yet to record a win after 13 matches and eight weeks in Australia.

Man-of-the-Match Gilchrist smashed 124 from 104 balls and Ponting hit 119 from 123 balls, adding 225 for the second wicket from 206 balls after Australia opener Matthew Hayden was out to the bowling of James Kirtley for four in the third over.

Australia’s previous best for any partnership in One-day Internationals was the 224 by Dean Jones and Allan Border for the third wicket against Sri Lanka in Adelaide in 1984-85.

England’s innings started badly with Marcus Trescothick was out for six and Ronnie Irani run out for his second successive duck.

Hussain put on 60 for the third wicket with Knight, scoring 19 before he became one of Warne’s two victims. Craig White (57 not out) and Ian Blackwell (43) put on 72 for seventh wicket in 84 balls to carry England’s total beyond 200. Blackwell’s 54-ball innings of 43 including two fours and two sixes for England, who suffered from three run outs.

Warne was carried from the field on a stretcher, clutching his right shoulder in pain in front of a home crowd of 34,887.

The second leading wicket-taker in Test history dived to try to field a ball off his own bowling in his eighth over, landing heavily on his right arm.

Ponting told reporters: “It’s pretty safe to say he will be out for quite a while yet. It was a sad thing to happen in a great game and and we don’t know the full extent of it yet.

“We probably won’t know until late tonight or early tomorrow morning how bad it is.”