Steve Smith has claimed that Matthew Wade made the key contribution as Australia beat England by 59 runs in the first one-day international at the Ageas Bowl.
Australia battled to a total of 305-6 off 50 overs, and despite making a solid start to the run chase, England lost wickets at regular intervals before collapsing to 246 all out.
The tourists were struggling on 193-6 at one stage in their innings, but Wade scored a vital 71 not out to ensure that his side had a chance of victory halfway through the series opener.
"I thought the boys played really nicely tonight. We had a little bit of a hiccup with the bat in the middle order but Matthew Wade and Mitchell Marsh scored 93 in the last 10 overs," the visiting captain told Sky Sports News.
"It was an extremely good effort to get us up to 305 and it turned out to be enough. Matt's innings was very important and he played some very smart cricket with Mitchell."
The second ODI takes place at Lord's on Saturday.
Callum Mulvihill
