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20-Aug-2011 16:05:00 GMT
Sri Lanka v Australia, 4th ODI, Colombo

Lee and Doherty Stars in Australia Series Victory

Colombo: Fast bowler Brett Lee (4-15) and spinner Xavier Doherty took (4-28) four wickets apiece as Australia crushed Sri Lanka by five wickets to win the fourth one-day international and take an unbeatable 3-1 lead in the five-match series at the R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.

Sri Lanka won the toss for the third time in the series and chose to bat, but the decision backfired as Lee and Doherty bowled them out for 132 in 38.4 overs.

Australia won in the 28th over, scoring 133/5. Mahela Jayawardene top-scored with a painstaking 53 off 102 balls and Kumar Sangakkara made 31. The rest of the batting hardly made an impression, with the last seven batsmen failing to enter double figures.

Lee ended with figures of four for 15 and Doherty a career-best four for 28.

Australia lost Shane Watson (12) and Ricky Ponting (0) in one over from Lasith Malinga, but Shaun Marsh and skipper Michael Clarke put together 97 off 116 balls before debutant spinner Seekuge Prasanna picked up three wickets in four balls to cause a late alarm in the Australian batting ranks.

Prasanna dismissed top scorer Marsh for 70 off 80 balls (11 fours, 1 six) and Michael Hussey (0) from successive deliveries and David Hussey (0) off his fourth to finish with figures of three for 32.

Clarke was unbeaten on 38 along with Brad Haddin (5) as the winning runs came from four leg byes.

Earlier, Xavier Doherty and Brett Lee grabbed four wickets apiece as Australia dismissed Sri Lanka for 132.

Sri Lanka were 95 for 2 following a 71-run stand for the third wicket between Mahela Jayawardene (53) and Kumar Sangakkara (31) before losing their last eight wickets for 37 runs.

Skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan (12) was the other batsman to reach double figures in Sri Lanka's dismal performance on a slow wicket.

Jayawardene, dropped on 34 by wicket-keeper Brad Haddin off paceman Mitchell Johnson, hit just four boundaries in his patient 102-ball knock before falling to Lee in the 39th over.

Lee and Doug Bollinger did not allow Sri Lanka to make a solid start after the hosts elected to bat as they struck in their opening spells, removing Dilshan and Upul Tharanga (eight).

Sangakkara, hit on the helmet by a Bollinger bouncer off the first ball he faced, steadied the innings with Jayawardene before Doherty bagged three wickets in two overs.

The Australian spinner broke the partnership when he dismissed Sangakkara, caught by Lee at long-on while attempting a big shot. He then trapped Chamara Silva leg-before in the same over.

Doherty got his third wicket when he had Angelo Mathews stumped for six runs in his next over before accounting for debutant Seekkuge Prasanna.

Australia replaced Steven Smith with Shaun Marsh for the only change from the side that lost the last match by 78 runs on Tuesday.

Sri Lanka brought in spinner Prasanna and fit-again Mathews in place of Jeevan Mendis and Dinesh Chandimal.

Brief scores
Sri Lanka
132 (Jayawardene 53, Lee 4-15, Doherty 4-28)
Australia 133 for 5 (Marsh 70, Prasanna 3-32)
Results Australia won by five wickets
MOM Xavier Doherty (Australia)


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