Australia coasted to an emphatic victory over Leicestershire in their first match against county opposition of the Ashes summer.

The tourists crushed the home side at Grace Road thanks to their awesome batting power, Matthew Hayden making a superb century as Australia ran up 321 for four against the Twenty20 Cup holders.

Leicestershire were always well short of the required run rate but survived their 50 overs to finish on 226 for eight, with Otis Gibson and Paul Nixon sharing a seventh-wicket stand of 94.

The match served as excellent preparation for the Australians ahead of the NatWest series against England and Bangladesh which starts next week, underlining their position as the number one force in the one-day game.

Hayden made 107 off 96 balls to lay the foundations for the big total, and then Australia turned on the power in the latter stages of the innings.

Damien Martyn hit 85 off 103 balls during a stand of 136 in 17 overs with Andrew Symonds who clattered an unbeaten 92 from 59 deliveries.

Symonds hit three sixes and 10 fours, with 72 runs coming from the closing five overs of the Australia innings.

It was a fearsome assault on the Leicestershire attack and in all 174 of Australia's runs came in boundaries, with a total of seven sixes and 33 fours.

Gibson was the most successful of the toiling home attack, taking two for 65 with David Masters and Darren Maddy picking up a wicket apiece.

Hayden and Adam Gilchrist put on 38 for the first wicket and the only real blip in the Australian innings was when captain Ricky Ponting was out for seven, pulling a short delivery from Maddy straight to Dinesh Mongia at midwicket.

Hayden reached his century off 96 balls with 13 fours and two sixes and finally fell to a catch on the midwicket boundary by Mongia.

The home side, in their reply, could only score 21 runs from the first 10 overs.

Brett Lee opened up with three successive maidens and thereafter it was a case of survival for Leicestershire.

Hylton Ackerman made a gritty 38 but it was Nixon and Gibson who provided impetus to the innings with their stand of 94 in 14 overs.

Gibson made 50 off 48 balls and Nixon 43 off 53 balls as all the tourists' attack had a good work out.

Lee took one for 32, Glenn McGrath two for 33 and left-arm spinner Brad Hogg three for 56.