LEEDS (England), July 8: England captain Michael Vaughan did his best to keep his emotions in check after seeing his side here on Thursday achieve their biggest wickets’ win against Australia in a one-day international.

Victory by nine wickets at Vaughan’s Headingley home ground saw England take a 1-0 lead in their best of three series with the world champions.

It was also the biggest wickets margin achieved by either side in 83 limited overs matches between the two countries stretching back 35 years as well as England’s third win over Australia this season after triumphs in the one-off Twenty20 match and the Triangular one-day Series.

And after some tricky times for their top order against Australia’s pace attack, this result brought with it the bonus of Marcus Trescothick’s unbeaten 104, his 10th one-day international hundred and first against Australia.

Vaughan himself finished on 59 not as England, chasing 220, finished on 221 for one with four overs to spare.

Trescothick, caught off a no-ball on five, shared century stands with both Andrew Strauss and Vaughan.

But the toss played a crucial role with Vaughan opting to field first under grey, seam-bowler friendly skies that made batting treacherous for Australia, who totalled 219 for seven.

Later this month, England and Australia are due to play the first of five Ashes Tests with Ricky Ponting’s tourists’ looking for their ninth successive series win.

However, this latest result is bound to fire home supporters’ hopes of turning the tide.

But Vaughan told reporters after Thursday’s match: “It can’t hinder your confidence when you win by nine wickets against a team like Australia but how much an effect the one-dayers have on the Ashes, who knows?

“History suggests it won’t have any. But as individuals there will only be two more knocks before the series starts so you have to make the most of every opportunity you get.”

In Saturday’s tied Triangular Series final against Australia at Lord’s, England slumped to 33 for five but at Headingley they didn’t lose a wicket until Strauss was out for 41 in the 25th over.

“We learnt a lot from Saturday’s game, when you chase quite a smallish total it is important not to let them back into the game and at Lord’s we let them back in too early,” Vaughan said.

“Today we just wanted to give ourselves a platform if we needed to accelerate towards the last 10 or 15 overs as we had players down the order to do that.”

Ponting said conditions were unlike anything he’d previously experienced. “The wicket was very hard to bat on this morning and then of course the clouds went away when it was England’s turn to bat. That’s the most challenging one-day wicket I have ever batted on.”

Worryingly for Australia, experienced fast bowler Jason Gillespie had another tough day on tour, his 10 wicketless overs costing 66 runs.

And Ponting said giving the paceman a break ahead of the Ashes was now under consideration.

“We have just got to see how he feels about it, whether he wants to keep playing or whether he feels better having a game or a couple of games off going into the Test series.

“He was a bit below his best again, as a few of us were, just as I thought he was starting to get it right recently.

“He has always been one you can rely on in any kind of situation so this may be a confidence thing.”

The second match of the series is due to take place at Lord’s on Sunday and the series will conclude at The Oval on Tuesday.

The first Test is scheduled to start at Lord’s on July 21.—AFP