MELBOURNE, Australia, Feb 7 (AFP) - Sri Lanka's calamitous cricket tour of Australia ended with another defeat Sunday as Adam Gilchrist notched up a record one-day score by an Australian.

The Sri Lankans have endured injuries to key players, the no-balling of star spinner Muttiah Muralitharan and the appaearance of captain Arjuna Rantaunga before match referee Peter Van Der Merwe after his threatened walk-off in Adelaide.

To rub salt in the wounds the Sri Lankans were pummelled by Gilchrist in their final game of the triangular series. He propelled Australia to a 43-run victory in the leadup to Wednesday's finals series against England.

Gilchrist belted the highest ever Australian one-day score of 154 off only 129 balls to help his side to a massive 310 for eight off 50 overs.

Facing the stiff task of scoring at more than a run a ball, the Sri Lankans started brightly but after Shane Lee destroyed the middle order they were dismissed for 267 with 17 balls to spare.

Gilchrist not only scored his first century at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but beat the previous highest Australian one-day score of 145 held jointly by Dean Jones and Ricky Ponting.

``It's a great honour to have the record particularly when you consider the quality of the two guys that had it before me,'' he said.

``I'd rate Dean Jones as probably the best one day player we've ever had and Ricky is right up there with the best as well.''

Nothing hinged on Sunday's match, with Australia and England already through to the best of three finals series starting in Sydney on Wednesday, but it still produced some of the best cricket of the tournament.

Gilchrist's brutal display of power was studded with 14 fours and four sixes as he led Australia to their seventh win from 10 matches.

The West Australian wicketkeeper-batsman now holds two of the best five scores by Australians in one-day internationals, following his 131 against Sri Lanka in Sydney earlier in the series.

Gilchrist made the Sri Lankans pay for dropping him on 17. He took full advantage of an ideal batting wicket and some terrible bowling.

His innings helped the Aussies to their highest ever one-day total at the MCG, eclipsing the 302 for eight against New Zealand in 1982-83. Gilchrist also surpassed Viv Richards' 153 not out set nearly 20 years ago as the highest individual one-day score on the ground.

The Sri Lankan cause was not helped by the loss of Muralitharan, who limped from the field after bowling less than four overs with a recurring groin strain.

But the Sri Lankans still gave Australia some worrying moments when they came to bat. Openers Romesh Kaluwitharana (68 off 60 balls with 13 fours and one six) and Avishka Gunawardene (75 off 60 balls with nine fours and two sixes) smashed 145 off the first 20 overs to keep ahead of the required run rate.

However, after Shane Warne removed Kaluwitharana, it was Lee who ensured victory by dismissing Gunawardene, Aravinda De Silva (11) and Arjuna Ranatunga (one) in the space of four overs.