MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Sri Lanka conjured a stunning one-wicket victory over Australia in their opening one-day international yesterday, powered by a record-breaking ninth-wicket partnership between Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga.

Looking dead and buried at 107-8 and chasing Australia’s 239-8 in Melbourne, the Sri Lankans roared home on the back of a sensational 132-run stand off 110 balls from man-of-the-match Mathews and fast bowler Malinga.

The previous ninth-wicket record for an ODI was the 126 by Kapil Dev and Syed Kirmani for India against Zimbabwe in the 1983 World Cup.

Sri Lanka’s astonishing comeback condemned Australia to their sixth successive international defeat and cast a pall over the side, shattered to have thrown away apparent victory.

Mathews remained unconquered on 77 off 84 balls, spiced with one six and eight fours, while Malinga clobbered his highest one-day score of 56 off 48 balls with two prodigious sixes and six fours.

“What a performance, we had to fight for every run,” skipper Kumar Sangakkara said. He described Mathews and Malinga’s performance as “unbelievable”.

“Angelo has been our greatest asset this past year,” he added.

“He can bat, he can bowl, he’s won us games of Twenty20 and one-day cricket, he’s champion and he’s still only 23 and he still has a long way to go.”

Malinga was run out with the scores tied and it was left to No 11 Muttiah Muralitharan to hit the winning runs off Shane Watson to claim a famous victory for Sri Lanka.