Malinga sets hat-trick record for Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga takes off after recording a historic hat-trick that helps his team to victory [AFP]

Lasith Malinga became the first bowler to take three one-day international hat tricks and Mahela Jayawardene hit 71 runs as Sri Lanka registered a four-wicket consolation win against Australia in the fifth one-day international on Monday.

Malinga captured the wickets of tailenders Mitchell Johnson, John Hastings and Xavier Doherty in successive deliveries in the 46th over to help dismiss Australia for a modest 211 runs. He had best bowling figures of 3-35.

Despite losing three early wickets, Jayawardene and Chamara Silva (63) held the innings together to complete a morale-boosting win with three overs to spare, ahead of a three-match Test series.

Australia won the series 3-2.

Sri Lanka got off to a poor start as they lost three wickets for 33, chasing a mediocre total. Opener Upul Tharanga edged the fourth delivery of the innings from Johnson to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and in the following over Kumar Sangakkara (7) was dismissed in a similar fashion by pace bowler James Pattinson.

Pattinson, who was playing only his second one-day international, bowled Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan for 17 to give Australia the edge.

Jayawardene and Silva anchored the innings with a solid 111-run partnership for the fourth wicket and they were helped by some wayward bowling, resulting in 15 wides.

Silva hit a six and eight boundaries to end the series well after a string of failures. Jayawardene hit six boundaries in his 119-ball innings.

Malinga earlier became the first bowler to take three hat-tricks in one-day cricket, surpassing retired left-arm seamers Wasim Akram of Pakistan and Chaminda Vaas of Sri Lanka, who have achieved the feat twice each.

Australia celebrate winning the series 3-2 following the final one-day game [AFP]

Malinga bowled Johnson (1), trapped Hastings (0) lbw and then bowled Doherty (0). His previous hat tricks came in a 2007 World Cup match against South Africa in which he took four wickets in successive balls and in this year’s World Cup against Kenya.

Sri Lanka’s captain Dilshan had won the toss and opted to bowl first and his opening bowler Shaminda Eranga struck in the second over, bowling Shaun Marsh (2) with the total on four.

Shane Watson and former captain Ricky Ponting combined for the best partnership of the innings, 67 runs off 73 balls, for the second wicket to build a platform for a competitive total.

Substitute fielder Suraj Randiv took a brilliant catch diving forward at short mid-wicket to dismiss Ponting for 31.

Watson joined his captain Michael Clarke in a promising 56-run stand for the fourth wicket. Watson mistimed a slog-sweep against spinner Ajantha Mendis for a catch to Tharanga in the deep. He hit a six and six boundaries for his 56 runs off 84 balls, the best in the Australian innings.

Eranga forced an edge off Clarke to wicketkeeper Sangakkara for 47. Clarke faced 67 balls and hit three boundaries in a measured innings.

David Hussey hit a six and five boundaries for a quick 46 runs off 49 balls but his dismissal in the 44th over started Australia’s slide with their last five wickets being lost for just a run.

Mendis finished with impressive figures of 3-49.