Brett Lee has claimed the first ever hat-trick in international Twenty20 cricket as Australia swept to victory by nine wickets against Bangladesh in their opening game of the Super Eights at the Twenty20 World Championship in Cape Town.

Lee made history when he dismissed Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza and Alok Kapali in consecutive balls in the 17th over of Bangladesh's innings of 8-123 at Newlands.

In reply, Australia needed less than 14 overs to reach their victory target after Matthew Hayden (73 not out from 48 balls) and Adam Gilchrist (43 from 26) posted the country's maiden 100-run partnership in the shortest form of the game.

Lee, who missed Australia's World Cup triumph in April with an ankle injury, finished with the impressive figures of 3-27 from four overs.

It was the fast bowler's second hat-trick in international cricket - and second in South Africa - after he achieved the milestone in the 2003 World Cup against Kenya in Durban.

Significantly, all three wickets were genuine bowler's dismissals - caught behind, clean bowled and leg-before.

Lee, though, played down the achievement.

"It's always nice to get them on the big stage but the reason you play the game is try and win for Australia," Lee said.

"Hopefully my three wickets helped, but I'm enjoying just being back out there playing cricket for Australia. It's as simple as that.

"It was hard, missing the World Cup. But to come over here and be back bowling again, I'm really happy with the way I've been bowling."

Nathan Bracken (2-14) nearly became the second player to take a hat-trick in international Twenty20 just four overs later, but after having Aftab Ahmed and Farhad Reza caught on the boundary, Mushfiqur Rahim calmly guided the hat-trick ball to fine leg.

Opener Tamim Iqbal top scored with 32 off 40 balls, while Aftab Ahmad added 31 off 34.

But Bangladesh struggled throughout against the pace of the Australians, with Stuart Clark finishing with the miserly figures of 1-13 off his four overs.

Australia made a nervous start in reply, with Gilchrist dropped at slip by Kapali for nought from just the fourth ball of the innings.

From there, though, it was all one-way traffic.

Hayden and Gilchrist brought up their second 50 partnership in as many games after just 33 balls - with Hayden at that stage already 42.

The 100 partnership - Australia's first ever in Twenty20 cricket - came up in just 69 balls when Gilchrist hammered Abdur Razzak for his fourth six of the innings over long off.

But from the next ball the vice-captain was run out by a superb piece of outfielding by Iqbal while attempting a second run, ending the stand at 104.

Hayden, though, continued to show no mercy, bettering his previous Twenty20 best of 67 not out - scored at the same ground against England just two days earlier - in hitting nine boundaries and three sixes in a superb innings of power hitting.

Australia plays Pakistan in Johannesburg on Tuesday before their final game of the Super Eights stage against Sri Lanka in Cape Town.

Only the top two sides from the four-team group advance to the semi-finals.

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