Aussies beat Lanka by 16 runs

Paceman Clint McKay bowled Australia to a 16-run victory over Sri Lanka to capture the one-day international tri-series in the third final at the Adelaide Oval on Thursday.

Man of the match McKay claimed five wickets for 28 off 9.5 overs to go with his 28 off 32 balls in Australia's innings as he proved the winning difference over the World Cup finalists.

Australia looked as though their total would not be enough when they were dismissed for 231 with three balls left of the 50 overs.

But inspired bowling by McKay, backed up by veteran paceman Brett Lee's three wickets, squeezed the home side across the line.

The Australians head to the West Indies on Friday buoyed by their victory which came on top of their 4-0 thumping of India in the Test series to complete an arduous international season at home.

McKay helped rescue Australia after a middle-batting collapse ruined hopes of a big total. Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardene had won the toss and sent the home side into bat.

The Victorian paceman, mixing it up with deceptive slower deliveries out of the back of his hand, snared his best one-day figures in a match-winning performance.

McKay bowled Jayawardene for 15 and trapped the dangerous Dinesh Chandimal leg before wicket for five, before claiming the wickets of Chamara Kapugedera, Rangana Herath and last man Lasith Malinga.

A fired-up Lee snared the initial two victims -- dangermen Tillakaratne Dilshan (eight) and Kumar Sangakkara (19 off nine balls) before later taking the key wicket of big-hitting Nuwan Kulasekara for 15.

Upul Tharanga, batting at number six, hit a resilient 71 off 122 balls before he was caught behind off stand-in Australian captain Shane Watson in the 46th over.

Watson took over the captaincy after Michael Clarke was ruled out with an injured left hamstring, which will also force him to miss Australia's ODI series against the West Indies next week.

Earlier, opening batsman Matthew Wade topscored for Australia with 49 off 74 deliveries and batting partner David Warner hit 48 off 45.

Farveez Maharoof claimed three for 40 off 10 overs, while left-arm spinner Herath picked up three for 36 from his 10 overs as well as taking a brilliant tumbling catch to dismiss Watson for 19.

The Australians got away to a breezy start with Wade and Warner scoring 75 off the opening 14 overs, but their progress stalled as Sri Lanka's bowlers and fielders, coupled with Jayawardene's imaginative captaincy, reeled in the Australia's run-rate.

The home side were 115 for one in the 21st over but fell away losing five wickets in the next 12 overs.

Australia won the opening final in Brisbane by 15 runs with Sri Lanka taking the series into a decider after an eight-wicket win in Adelaide last Tuesday.

Scorecard

Australia:

M. Wade c Sangakkara b Herath 49

D. Warner c Sangakkara b Maharoof 48

S. Watson c Herath b Dilshan 19

M. Hussey run out (Dilshan) 1

D. Hussey lbw b Maharoof 19

P. Forrest b Herath 3

D. Christian c Jayawardene b Maharoof 19

B. Lee b Kulasekara 32

C. McKay c Maharoof b Herath 28

X. Doherty not out 5

N. Lyon c sub (Senanayake) b Kulasekara 0

Extras (b2, lb3, w3) 8

Total (all out; 49.3 overs) 231

Fall of wickets: 1-75 (Warner), 2-115 (Watson), 3-119 (M. Hussey), 4-123 (Wade), 5-135 (Forrest), 6-151 (D. Hussey), 7-177 (Christian), 8-217 (McKay), 9-231 (Lee), 10-231 (Lyon)

Bowling: Dilshan 10-1-41-1 (1w), Kulasekara 9.3-0-40-2 (1w), Malinga 10-0-69-0 (1w), Maharoof 10-0-40-3, Herath 10-0-36-3

Sri Lanka:

M. Jayawardene b McKay 15

T. Dilshan c Hussey b Lee 8

K. Sangakkara c Watson b Lee 19

D. Chandimal lbw b McKay 5

L. Thirimanne c Warner b Watson 30

U. Tharanga c Wade b Watson 71

C. Kapugedera c Wade b McKay 7

N. Kulasekara c Lyon b Lee 15

F. Maharoof not out 18

R. Herath b McKay 0

L. Malinga b McKay 6

Extras (lb9, w12) 21

Total (all out; 48.5 overs) 215

Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Dilshan), 2-47 (Sangakkara), 3-52 (Chandimal), 4-53 (Jayawardene), 5-113 (Thirimanne), 6-142 (Kapugedera), 7-172 (Kulasekara), 8-204 (Tharanga), 9-205 (Herath), 10-215 (Malinga)

Bowling: Lee 8-0-59-3 (3w/7), Doherty 8-0-49-0 (2w/5), McKay 9.5-1-28-5, Watson 7-0-13-2, Lyon 8-0-36-0, Christian 8-1-21-0

Australia won by 16 runs

Australia win finals series 2-1

Man of the Match: Clint McKay (AUS)

Man of the Series: Tillakaratne Dilshan (SRI)

Toss: Sri Lanka

Umpires: Asad Rauf (PAK) and Bruce Oxenford (AUS)

TV umpire: Simon Fry (AUS)

Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)

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