Australia captain Michael Clarke was a man of few words after his side's massive defeat to Sri Lanka in the third ODI in Brisbane, saying the fans wouldn't want to see them play if they continued like that.

The hosts were all out for their second-lowest ODI total ever when they were dismissed for 74, before Sri Lanka chased the small target with just four wickets in hand. The visitors now lead the series 2-1.

Nuwan Kulasekara did the bulk of the damage for the Sri Lankans, taking five wickets for 22 runs and reducing the top order to ashes. Lasith Malinga took three wickets too, as only Mitchell Starc and Xavier Doherty reached double figures.

The disappointed Aussie skipper said after the match: "Our defence let us down more than anything. No excuse for the way we performed.

"Shot selection was poor. I understand the public wants us playing consistently. Honestly, if we played like that then the public wouldn't want to see us playing at all."

On the other end of the spectrum, Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was thrilled with the result, and quickly praised his fast bowlers, who took eight wickets between them.

He said of Kulasekara: "Nuwan has been very consistent for us for quite a few years and he's built a nice little partnership with Lasith (Malinga).

"The thing today was he hit some really awkward areas for the Aussie batsmen and especially on this wicket created a lot of problems."

The fourth match will be played on 20 January at the Sydney Cricket Ground.