Sydney, February 11:

England completed an upset two-match sweep of Australia in the limited-overs tri-series cricket tournament today when the visitors won the rain-affected second final by 34 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis scoring system.

Australia were 152-8 off 27 overs in reply to England’s 246-8 before rain ended play at the Sydney Cricket Ground. England’s bowlers enjoyed the better of the conditions with Liam Plunkett (3-43) extracting fierce swing to upend Australia’s top order.

Paul Collingwood earlier continued his storming finish to the tour with a telling 70 runs. Wet weather twice disrupted the Australians’ chase and the loss of five wickets in the first dozen overs of the innings revised the target to 211 from 33 overs when they resumed with the score on 79 in the 17th over.

Plunkett placed Australia into early trouble by removing Ricky Ponting (7), Adam Gilchrist (20) and Michael Clarke (0). Flintoff terminated Michael Hussey’s 10-ball stay at the crease with a delivery. Australia went back out once again on 79-5 but lost Shane Watson to a brilliant one-handed catch by Jamie Dalrymple, off the bowling of Collingwood, to end realistic hopes of a challenge. Brad Hogg and Hodge were both caught on the edge of the fielding circle before the drizzle returned with Australia 152-8 from 26 overs.

SA thrash Pak

Cape Town: Wicketkeeper Mark Boucher took a record-equalling six catches and South Africa beat Pakistan by 10 wickets in the fourth one-dayer.

Pakistan were dismissed for 107 and South Africa needed just 14 overs to score 113 without losing a wicket. South Africa captain Graeme Smith finished the match with a six for a total of 56 off 44 balls, including six fours. AB de Villiers was not out on 50 off 40 balls.

Three others have taken six catches in an ODI: England’s Alec Stewart, Ridley Jacobs of the West Indies and Australia’s Adam Gilchrist, who has achieved the feat four times. South Africa lead the series 2-1 ahead of Wednesday’s final match. The third match was rained out on Friday.

Smith won the toss and sent Pakistan in to bat at the Newlands Stadium. Wickets began to tumble in the very first over of the match.

Shaun Pollock got a ball to cut back at Imran Nazir, and Boucher took a diving catch off an inside edge, leaving Pakistan on 0-1. Kamran Akmal and Younis Khan had reached a partnership of six by the eighth over before Akmal slipped in the middle of the pitch and was run out for 3.

Younis and Mohammad Yousuf took the score to 23, before Younis (8) edged Pollock to Jacques Kallis. Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq put on 18 for the fourth wicket before Yousuf (21) became Boucher’s second victim off Andrew Hall.

Inzamam finished with not out 45. Shoaib Malik (19) put on 46 with Inzamam before attempting to glance Justin Kemp giving Boucher another catch.

Azhar Mahmood (1), Rana Naved-ul-Hasan (3) and Abdur Rehman (0) were Boucher’s other victims — all to conventional catches off seam bowlers. Pollock, Hall and Kemp each took two wickets.