Kane Ricardson picked up three wickets to keep England to 137 for 7. © Getty

An imposing Australia stormed into the Twenty20 tri-series final after a seven-wicket thrashing of England at the MCG in a memorable swansong to the home summer.

In the final international fixture of the Australian season, the hosts finished with a bang on Saturday (February 10). Chasing England's middling 137 for 7, a blistering third-wicket partnership of 65 from D'Arcy Short (36 not out from 33 balls) and the in-form Glenn Maxwell (39 from 26 balls) was the catalyst for the one-sided romp.

Fittingly, the returning Aaron Finch - batting at No.5 - finished the job in style with successive sixes as Australia powered to victory in the 15th over. It was the third straight win to open the tri-series for the No.7 ranked T20 team.

The decisive victory looked unlikely at the start after a lead-footed David Warner (2) nicked quick David Willey in the first over to continue the Australian captain's form drought since the Ashes. There were no nerves for dynamic No.3 Chris Lynn, who skipped down the pitch second ball to whack a Willey delivery to the boundary.

Lynn smashed 19 runs from his first eight deliveries to showcase his vaunted power batting. Australia reached 50 in just the sixth over before Lynn (31 from 19 balls) fell to give England a glimmer of hope.

However, there would be no let up as Short and Maxwell made easy work of a flagging England notably weakened without a slew of stars. The high-octane pair initially tapped the ball around before memorably opening up mid-innings.

Short hit out in the 10th over against recalled spinner Liam Dawson, including one blistering six down the ground. Not to be outdone, Maxwell then mercilessly thrashed legspinner Adil Rashid as Australia smashed 39 runs across the two overs.

In one brutal stretch, the white-hot Maxwell clubbed 25 from just six balls to help Australia cruise to an easy victory and complete an outstanding performance after a stellar earlier effort with the ball.

Warner won the toss for the third straight match and once again elected to bowl on a bouncy MCG deck, which spearheads Kane Richardson (3-33) and Billy Stanlake (2-28) ruthlessly exploited in the early going.

England's vaunted top-order crashed, losing three wickets inside the opening four overs, as Australia's stunning revival continued.

Opener Alex Hales fell in the second over through a brilliant catch to Finch, who tested his susceptible hamstring by running back and covering much ground to take a well-judged snare much to the delight of his beloved hometown fans.

A month after his sublime 180 at the MCG, Jason Roy was unable to reproduce the fireworks and fell to Stanlake in the third over. Worse was to come for England when Dawid Malan, their game two star, was run out by a brilliant direct hit from Warner - a dazzling fielder who strangely is prone to misfiring at the stumps. Warner's swift side-arm flick punctuated a rejuvenated Australia's stranglehold over England.

Without captain Eoin Morgan, out due to a groin strain, the recalled James Vince and dynamic wicketkeeper Jos Buttler were left to stabilise the innings. Playing his first international match since the Ashes, Vince characteristically lived dangerously and could have been run out on several occasions as England appeared paralysed by their change of fortune since a decisive One-Day International (ODI) triumph.

The flashy Vince (21) showcased his usual mixed bag of shots before being bowled by Andrew Tye as England sank to 70 for 4 in the 11th over. An inspired Australia under Warner's vivacious leadership bowled superbly complemented by outstanding fielding, as a stifled England was bogged down in the middle overs with the run rate plummeting to under six an over.

After his struggles in Hobart, Sam Billings started sluggishly before rediscovering some form through several lusty blows. Billings and Buttler combined for an important 43-run partnership to ensure England posted a competitive total but Australia's tight bowling at the death ensured they kept the batsmen on a tight leash.

Against disciplined bowling, the inimitable Buttler (46 from 49) landed several big hits but was generally unable to provide the expected fireworks and fell on the last ball of the innings to a well-judged catch from Ashton Agar in a fitting end for buoyant Australia.

It was a memorable finish to the summer for Australia, who have recovered well in the tri-series after their ODI malaise. The series shifts to New Zealand with the hosts playing England in a crucial clash on February 13.