No fluke as The Duke delivers again

John Hastings last night claimed the eighth best One-Day International figures by an Australian male to continue his impressive return to international action in Sri Lanka.

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The Victorian seamer finished with career-best figures of 6-45 from his allotted 10 overs to help skittle the hosts for 212, before Aaron Finch and George Bailey led the way in the run chase as Australia wrapped up the ODI series with 19 overs – and another match – to spare.

The right-armer became just the seventh Australian man to claim six or more wickets in an ODI and the first since teammate Mitchell Starc grabbed figures of 6-43 and then 6-28 a matter of weeks early last year.

Hastings' effort is also the second-best by any Australian in Asia, behind only Mitchell Johnson's 6-31 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele five years ago.

All this in what was only the Victorian's second game back since undergoing ankle surgery earlier this year, which ruled him out of the ODI tri-series in the Caribbean in June, having returned a typically reliable 2-41 in his comeback match on Sunday.

"He's actually replacing Coults (Nathan Coulter-Nile) because he got injured, so we were fortunate enough to add him to the squad and have him playing," new captain David Warner said of Hastings' late addition to the touring party in Sri Lanka.

"He's been a very good bowler for a long time now and he's a very cagey one; you have to respect him.

"I know when I've played against him in the past he's just so hard to get away and in these conditions he is very challenging and tough to go after and it showed tonight.

"His skills were fantastic and there's probably a reason he got a PB tonight."

Hastings is becoming an increasingly crucial member of Australia's 50-over set-up having now played as many ODIs in the past 12 months as he had in the previous five years.

In the 11 matches he's played since being added to Australia's squad for the series in England last September due to a spate of injuries, Hastings has claimed 24 wickets while conceding just 4.91 an over, including a series-best 10 wickets at 21.50 in a run-fest against India earlier this year.

The big-hitting right-hander has also proven to be more than handy with the bat, averaging 51.50 since his recall last year due largely to the fact that he has only been dismissed twice. But he's also produced some crucial innings, with his unbeaten 48 against New Zealand in Wellington earlier this year the pick of the bunch.

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And with the 2017 Champions Trophy in England, where Hastings has vast experience playing county cricket, less than 12 months away and the 2019 World Cup also in the UK, selection for a major tournament is on the cards.

But the immensely popular 30-year-old is simply happy to back in the Aussie Gold again following a number of problems with his shoulder last summer, as well as the ankle issue that forced him to the sidelines for an extended period.

"I’ve done a lot of hard work over this last four or five months now and haven’t played since the IPL," Hastings said following his return on Sunday night.

"So there was a lot of faith shown by the selectors and the medical staff in me, pretty much saying I was ready to go and I’m right so I’m very thankful for that.

"I love playing for Australia and it’s really good to get back out there.

"Not many people can do what we do so I’m very thankful for that, but there’s been a lot of hard work behind the scenes in getting my body ready and getting back out there so hopefully it can stand up for a little while longer yet."

Best figures by an Australian in ODI cricket

• 7-15 - Glenn McGrath v Namibia, Potchefstroom, 2003
• 7-20 - Andy Bichel v England, Port Elizabeth, 2003
• 6-14 - Gary Gilmour v England, Leeds, 1975
• 6-28 - Mitchell Starc v New Zealand, Auckland, 2015
• 6-31 - Mitchell Johnson v Sri Lanka, Pallekele, 2011
• 6-39 - Ken MacLeay v India, Nottingham, 1983
• 6-43 - Mitchell Starc v India, Melbourne, 2015
• 6-45 - John Hastings v Sri Lanka, Dambulla, 2016