Both teams struggled to score quickly on a pitch and outfield slowed by a week of torrential rain, but the Australians fared much better with Adam Gilchrist and Michael Clarke both making half-centuries while left-arm seamer Nathan Bracken took career-best figures of 5 for 47 to win the man of the match award.
"I thought 250 batting first on that wicket was a pretty good total and our batsmen adapted really well," Ricky Ponting, Australian captain, said.
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"We lost too many wickets up front and we are very disappointed with the performance."
Mahela Jayawardene,
Sri Lanka captain |
"Michael Clarke played a really sensible knock, not taking too many risks and making sure he was there at the end.
"I knew our bowlers would be able to take the pace off the ball and use the seam on the ball and Nathan Bracken did a great job of doing that."
Gilchrist got the world champions off to a solid start with 61 off 81 balls while Clarke kept the rate up in the late overs with an unbeaten 77 from 86 deliveries.
Matthew Hayden, returning to the side after a hamstring injury, chipped in with a valuable 42 in an opening partnership of 65 with Gilchrist, but the only other batsman to make a significant score was James Hopes, who blazed 34 off 29 balls.
Hayden, who was absent through injury for Australia's opening tri-series match against India, came back with a typically aggressive display, belting five boundaries before being caught out by Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene at mid-on off the bowling of Ishara Amersinghe.
Australia recover
Ponting, who has been troubled by back pain in the past fortnight, opened his account with a straight drive four but departed for just nine when he edged Chaminda Vaas to Jayawardene at a wide slip.
Gilchrist, who is retiring from international cricket after the series, hit three fours and a six in a relatively subdued performance before he was trapped LBW by Chamara Kapugedera.
Andrew Symonds (12) and Mike Hussey (10) were both dismissed cheaply as Australia slumped to 190 for 5 in the 42nd over before Clarke and Hopes put on a quick 63 for the sixth wicket.
Hopes was out in the last over, leaving Clarke stranded on 77 after a watchful innings that featured just two fours and 45 singles.
Sri Lanka collapse
Sri Lanka made a terrible start to their reply when they lost their two openers Sanath Jayasuriya (7) and Upul Tharanga (10) in successive balls.
Sangakkara hit seven fours to give the Sri Lankans some hope of a recovery but when he was trapped LBW by Bracken in the 20th over, the rest of the batting fell away and they were all out in the 32nd over.
"We lost too many wickets up front and we are very disappointed with the performance," Jayawardene said.
"We haven't been very consistent with our one-day form and we've been talking about it quite a bit.
"We thought we were getting back into it, but today was a very disappointing day.
"Against these guys you have to play A-grade cricket."
Australia's win was the first of the triangular tournament after the opening two matches were washed out in Brisbane.
India take on the hosts in the next match of the series in Melbourne on Sunday.