Chaminda Vaas recorded the first hat-trick in the first three balls of an international cricket match as Bangladesh were routed by Sri Lanka in Pietermaritzburg.

The left-arm seamer removed Hannan Sarkar with his opening delivery, slanting one back into the right hander as the ball ripped into the stumps.

Second up was Mohammed Ashraful, who was only able to jab at Vaas's next ball and pop a simple return catch up to the bowler.

With the Sri Lankans crowding the bat, Ehsanul Haque duly provided Vaas with his second ODI hat-trick by fencing at a ball going across his stumps and steering the ball straight to a jubilant Mahela Jayawardene at wide second slip.

Number five batsman Sanwar Hossain was lucky not to fall on the fourth ball as he flipped the delivery just over Aravinda de Silva at extra cover, and having let a wide go past on the off side off the fifth ball he duly missed the next and was adjudged lbw by umpire Russell Tiffin.

Sixth batsman Alok Kapali, who probably wasn't even changed at the start of the over, played out the final ball, leaving Bangladesh on an enfeebled 5-4.

It got a little better – it could hardly have got worse – as Kapali and captain Khaled Mashud steadied the ship following opener Al Shahariar's departure for 10 (also to Vaas).

But wickets are never far away when Bangladesh are at the crease, and the innings was eventually wrapped up by Muttiah Muralitharan (3-25) and the irrepressible Vaas, who bagged the last to record figures of 6-25 from 9.1 overs, the best of the tournament so far.

Sri Lankan openers Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Janasuriya wasted little time in setting about their target of 125, and Atapattu in particular was harsh on the Bangladeshi bowlers as he flayed some friendly stuff to all parts of this picturesque ground.

Sri Lanka lead Pool B with wins from both their opening matches; their next game is against Canada at Paarl on February 19.

14 Feb, 2003