Australia’s Glenn McGrath with the Man of the Match trophy after defeating New Zealand in the one day international cricket semi final match for the ICC Champions Trophy in Mohali, India, Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006. Australia won the match by 34 runs and entered the final. (AP Photo/Bikas Das)

MOHALI - All-rounder Andrew Symonds led Australia into its first ever ICC Champions Trophy final on Wednesday with a 34-run victory against a never-say-die New Zealand in the first semifinal.

Symonds smashed a run-a-ball 58 in Australia’s challenging total of 240-9 off 50 overs and then took the vital wicket of Jacob Oram (43) as the world champions bowled out a fighting New Zealand for 206 in 46 overs.

Australia had failed to go beyond the semifinal in its previous two attempts in the Champions Trophy. It will now play the final at Mumbai on Sunday against the winner of the second semifinal between the West Indies and South Africa at Jaipur on Thursday.

Fast bowler Glenn McGrath’s (3-22) superb spell of unchanged 10 overs had reduced New Zealand to 35-6 in the 15th over before Oram and top-scorer Daniel Vettori (79) made a remarkable turnaround with a record breaking 103-run partnership off 126 balls.

The seventh wicket stand bettered New Zealand’s previous best effort of 89 runs between Chris Harris and Dion Nash against Australia made at Auckland in 1988.

Adam Gilchrist brilliantly stumped Oram off Symonds in the 36th over that opened up the Kiwis tail end and despite a late assault by the last wicket pair of Kyle Mills and Shane Bond the Kiwis fell short of the target.

New Zealand could have been 47 for seven, but Michael Hussey dropped a sitter in the slips when Vettori was on five as both the left-handers took charge once McGrath was out of the attack.

McGrath had the wickets of Lou Vincent (1), Hamish Marshall (5) and Peter Fulton (2) while Stephen Fleming (15) and Brendon McCullum (1) fell to Nathan Bracken (2-36) in quick succession before Vettori and Oram came together.

Captain Ricky Ponting and Symonds earlier compiled identical scores of 58 runs each and were ably supported by Hussey (35) after Australia cheaply lost opening batsmen Watson and Adam Gilchrist to fast bowler Mills.

Mills gave New Zealand a dream start with two wickets in four deliveries after captain Fleming won the toss and chose to field first on a hard and bouncy Punjab Cricket Association Stadium wicket.

The right arm fast bowler returned for his second spell and removed Ponting and Michael Clarke (14) to finish with fine figures of four for 38 off his sharp 10 overs.

Adam Gilchrist c Oram b Mills 3

Shane Watson c Fulton b Mills 0

Ricky Ponting c Vettori b Mills 58

Damien Martyn lbw b Vettori 26

Michael Hussey c Marshall b Franklin 35

Andrew Symonds b Bond 58

Michael Clarke c Vettori b Mills 14

Brett Lee b Bond 5

Mitchell Johnson run out 3

Nathan Bracken not out 15

Glenn McGrath not out 0

Extras: (6lb, 3nb, 14w) 23

Overs: 50. Batting time: 228 minutes.

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-4, 3-70, 4-123, 5-188, 6-211, 7-220, 8-223, 9-236.

Bowling: Mills 10-1-38-4 (1w), Bond 10-0-55-2 (10w), Franklin 8-1-48-1 (2nb, 3w), Oram 10-1-43-0 (1nb), Vettori 10-0-41-1, Astle 2-0-9-0.

Lou Vincent c Ponting b McGrath 1

Stephen Fleming c Ponting b Bracken 15

Nathan Astle b Lee 0

Hamish Marshall c Gilchrist b McGrath 5

Peter Fulton b McGrath 2

Jacob Oram st Gilchrist b Symonds 43

Brendon McCullum c Martyn b Bracken 1

Daniel Vettori b Johnson 79

James Franklin c Gilchrist b Watson 8

Kyle Mills c Gilchrist b Lee 21

Shane Bond not out 9

Extras: (7lb, 2nb, 13w) 22

Overs: 46. Batting time: 211 minutes.

Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-20, 3-30, 4-30, 5-34, 6-35, 7-138, 8-159, 9-180, 10-206.

Bowling: Lee 8-0-31-2 (1nb, 6w), McGrath 10-2-22-3 (2w), Bracken 7-1-36-2 (3w), Johnson 7-0-38-1 (1nb, 2w), Watson 7-0-27-1, Symonds 7-0-45-1.