Australia hand out 128-run defeat to S.Lanka

Australian left-arm pace bowler Nathan Bracken came up with career-best figures of 5 for 47 on Friday and took Australia to a comfortable 128-run win against Sri Lanka in the third match of the Commonwealth Bank tri-one-day series at the Sydney Cricket Ground here.

Sydney, Feb.8 : Australian left-arm pace bowler Nathan Bracken came up with career-best figures of 5 for 47 on Friday and took Australia to a comfortable 128-run win against Sri Lanka in the third match of the Commonwealth Bank tri-one-day series at the Sydney Cricket Ground here.

Bracken was ably assisted by batters Michael Clarke (77) and Adam Gilchrist (61), who had earlier set up an imposing target of 6 for 253.

Of all the Sri Lankan batsmen, only Kumar Sangakkara looked capable of carrying the fight into the Australian camp.He cracked 16 runs in one Brett Lee over, but fell leg before wicket to Bracken thereafter.

Sri Lanka needed to to undertake a successful ODI chase at the SCG - the record is Australia's 260 set in 1998-99 - but they never got close. The slow-and-low pitch was not easy to bat on, and the visitors made much harder work of it than Australia.

Clarke struck only two fours and one six in his 77, while Gilchrist turned the clock a bit with his 81-ball effort.

ANI