Australia beat Lanka to win ODI series

Australia scored 231 off 49.3 overs and held off a determined fightback to dismiss the World Cup finalists for 215 with seven balls to spare in the third ODI final.Australia overcame the absence of injured captain Michael Clarke to win the deciding match in the tri-series final against Sri Lanka by 16 runs on Thursday after bowling out the visitors previously potent batting lineup for 215.The home side looked set to lose to the Sri Lankans for the fifth time in six matches in the tournament which included India after scoring a modest 231 in its innings after being sent in to bat at Adelaide Oval.But man-of-the-match Clint McKay took five wickets for 28 runs in 9.5 overs after scoring a late 28 runs from 32 balls in the Australia innings.Fast bowler Brett Lee added three wickets and stand-in skipper and allrounder Shane Watson took the vital late wicket of Upul Tharanga while the Sri Lankan batsman was on 71.Australia won the best-of-three finals series 2-1. Sri Lanka won by eight wickets when chasing a higher total here on Tuesday to level the series after Australia won the first match in Brisbane last Sunday by 15 runs.Lee took the first two wickets for Australia on Thursday man-of-the-series Tillakaratne Dilshan on eight and Kumar Sangakkara, 19 off nine balls. McKay dismissed Dinesh Chandimal on five and captain Mahela Jayawardene on 15 to leave the Sri Lankans in early trouble.But Sri Lanka rebounded with a 60-run fifth-wicket stand between Lahiru Thirimanne (30) and Tharanga, only for McKay to return and strike again and boast figures of 3-12 from his initial six overs.Tharanga and Nuwan Kulasekara notched a quick 30 runs before Lee, who finished with 3-59, dismissed Kulasekara for 15.Sri Lanka needed a run a ball from the final six overs when Tharangas match-high score from 122 balls came to an end after being dismissed by Watson (2-13).Rangana Herath and allrounder Farveez Maharoof took three wickets each for Sri Lanka while openers Matthew Wade (49) and David Warner (48) were the top scorers in the Australia innings.The Australians lost three wickets for eight runs in four overs during a lull from the 20th over. That included the run out of Watson for 19 and opener Wade, caught behind off the bowling of Herath after wicketkeeper Sangakkara juggled but held the catch.Peter Forrest (3) was Heraths second wicket, bowled in the 27th over to leave Australia in trouble at 135-5.Clarke has a left hamstring injury and has been ruled out of the five-match limited-overs series in the West Indies later this month, but selectors hope hell recover in time to play in the test series in the Caribbean in April.Spinner Nathan Lyon was out for 0, Australias last wicket, in his limited-overs international debut on his home ground. He replaced the injured James Pattinson, who has a strained buttock muscle.--Agencies