Cricket/ Triangular International Series: Paul Collingwood will never be England's most glamorous cricketer but it must now be universally accepted he is a player of substance.

Australia have lightly derided him all winter, presenting his double hundred in the Adelaide Test as a freak of nature and rubbishing his MBE. Last night at the MCG came the revenge of the Ordinary Man.

Back-to-back hundreds in Brisbane and now Melbourne, achieved in draining heat in little more than three days have been proof not just of Collingwood's nous and dedication but also of his remarkable stamina. He repelled New Zealand in Queensland as England reached the Commonwealth Bank finals, then conquered the Australian attack in Victoria as England stole a four-wicket win with three balls to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series final.

Perhaps the Collingwood Tendency - the predisposition to regard him as ordinary - will dog his entire career. But this was a triumph for solid values and no little skill. It was his thrilling diving catch at short extra cover that ended Ricky Ponting's innings on 75 and dragged England back from the brink with Australia 170 for one in the 31st over; it was his dextrous run-outs of Michael Clarke and Brett Lee from backward point that contributed to the loss of their last six wickets for 23; and it was his highest ODI score, an unbeaten 120 from 133 balls, that wrenched victory.

Australia have now lost to England twice in succession. Their coach, John Buchanan, has made much play of the extra physical demands they have deliberately taken on to test themselves before the World Cup.

Collingwood boundaries had been a rarity in a composed hundred, reached when his mis-hook at Brett Lee fell safely in the legside. He had only four fours and a straight six off Glenn McGrath. With 25 needed from the last three overs, he timed his acceleration to perfection. He manufactured two successive boundaries behind square-leg against Shane Watson, who was fit for the first time in the series, and in the next over drove McGrath down the ground. Four were needed from Nathan Bracken's final over and England needed only three balls to go into Sydney one-up.

Collingwood's stand of 133 in 27 overs with Ian Bell communicated solidity after England's first three wickets had fallen for 15. Mal Loye and Andrew Strauss might have had grievances about their lbw decisions but Loye had wandered well across his stumps to Lee and, if Strauss did get a thin edge on Bracken's delivery, it was a fine one.

Ed Joyce dragged Lee to mid-on. The fourth-wicket pair responded with methodical strokeplay and smart running before Bell was unhinged by Lee's reverse-swinging yorker.

McGrath had a bad night, one of the worst of his career, and might well be wishing he had retired from all forms of cricket, not just Tests, at the end of the Ashes series. Another night like this on Sunday and his involvement in the World Cup cannot be guaranteed.

It was his 37th birthday and how he felt the advancing years, as Bell, 18, hooked Bracken to deep square and a simple catch slipped through his fingers and hit him in the face.

Never has McGrath muttered and shaken his head so much in one night. A throw from Brad Hodge hit him on the head at the bowler's end, he misfielded with all the flexibility of a man carrying a coffin and then came the coup de grace: a failed Australian double play as Adam Gilchrist should have run out Collingwood but threw the ball to the bowler's end, where McGrath made a hash of breaking the wicket as Andrew Flintoff dived for the crease with a human-sledge technique that made the stadium judder.

Australia's bad night extended to the Channel 9 commentary box, where Ian Healy, their former wicketkeeper, was caught on camera making "violin" gestures as Andrew Symonds spoke seriously about Australia's fund-raising for breast cancer research. Healy was forced to issue a public apology.

For the first two hours England were outplayed. Matthew Hayden should have been run out on 76 but Monty Panesar fell into the stumps trying to collect Jamie Dalrymple's poor throw and Ponting interspersed curt strokeplay with curt responses towards Paul Nixon. But Collingwood intervened, Sajid Mahmood held a steepler to dismiss Hayden and Flintoff, who had held five of his overs for the end, pressed home England's recovery.

• Guardian Service