England shared the NatWest Series with Australia after a thrilling final ended in a tie at Lord's.

Two runs were needed to level the scores with the last-wicket pair at the crease when Glenn McGrath struck Ashley Giles on the pads, who got back for a second as the ball trickled to third man.

It was a stunning comeback from England after the top order was blown away by the Australian pace attack; they somehow recovered from 33 for five to get within a stroke of a victory.

Michael Vaughan's men needed 10 from the last over and, although Darren Gough was run out from the penultimate delivery, they shared the spoils.

Wicketkeeper Geraint Jones carried out an impressive repair job alongside Paul Collingwood in a stand of 116 after England lost five wickets early on.

It was only his third 50 at one-day level for England and no sooner had he brought up his landmark from 86 deliveries than he deposited Jason Gillespie back over his head for a third six.

When he took a single off the next delivery it brought up the 100-run stand and left the hosts needing 64 from the final 10 overs to win the triangular tournament.

In an extraordinary collapse, half the side were dismissed inside the opening 10 overs as Australia pace pair McGrath and Brett Lee made the most of the conditions.

After pace bowler Lee floored Marcus Trescothick with a 91-mile-per-hour beamer, Australia got to work on a surface which aided the seamers throughout.

They claimed four successes in just 20 deliveries, in fact, as McGrath prised out Trescothick in typical fashion, enticing an edge low to Ricky Ponting at second slip.

Lee followed up with a full delivery which rearranged Andrew Strauss' stumps and the woodwork was struck again as Vaughan bottom-edged a pull off McGrath.

One-day star Kevin Pietersen, who powered a cover-driven boundary off McGrath, perished when he hung his bat out at a Lee delivery to provide wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist with a regulation catch.

With the pressure building, big-hitting all-rounder Andrew Flintoff pierced the infield twice in one Lee over to find the rope at point and straight down the ground but was snaffled at first slip by Matthew Hayden off McGrath, the next ball after Ponting, stationed at second slip, floored a chance from Collingwood.

That left Collingwood and Australian-raised Jones carrying unlikely hopes of an England win, the latter hooking Gillespie for six in a rare show of aggression early in the stand.

With the run rate climbing above a run a ball, Jones swept spinner Brad Hogg over the midwicket boundary shortly before getting to his half-century.

Collingwood's own half-century occupied 108 balls and it appeared to be a match-winning contribution from the Durham all-rounder until a mix-up with Jones which resulted in the former being run out.

When Jones was foxed by a full delivery from Hogg in the next over, the 45th of the innings, all hopes appeared lost.

Especially as Simon Jones was prised out by Mike Hussey's medium pace moments later.

But England ensured they shared the trophy by scrambling two runs off the last ball.