The one-day series between Australia and England will be decided in the fifth and final match on Monday after the hosts drew level on 1-1 with a thrilling final-over win in Cardiff.

Clint McKay became just the fifth Australian to take a hat-trick in an ODI but it wasn’t enough to secure victory for the tourists in Saturday’s clash.

Australia set England a target of 228 and McKay started brilliantly, snaring the key wickets of Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Joe Root with the first three deliveries of his second over.

The hosts were reeling at 3-8 after 15 balls but the Australians couldn’t finish them off and England won by three wickets with three balls to spare.

McKay said the loss was heart-breaking given the team could have clinched the series.

“(For me) the ball’s been coming out quite well all winter … and today once again a bit of luck was on my side,” the 30-year-old said.

“But at the end of the day it doesn’t mean too much when you don’t take home the points.”

The last Australian to bowl a hat-trick in an ODI was Daniel Christian against Sri Lanka in Melbourne in early 2012.

McKay is ranked seventh in the world one-day bowling rankings – the only Australian in the top 10. He finished Saturday with 4-39 off 10 overs.

After the initial shock, England opener Michael Carberry and captain Eoin Morgan piled on 104 for the fourth wicket.

But then Shane Watson snared Morgan for 53 and Carberry fell for 63 to debutant Nathan Coulter-Nile who was in the team at the expense of Josh Hazlewood.

When Ravi Bopara was out lbw it looked like Australian might take the victory.

But Jos Buttler – who successfully used the Decision Review System to have an lbw call reversed at Watson’s expense – and Ben Stokes put on 75 to steer England to within sight of the win.

Needing seven off the last over, Buttler smashed Mitchell Johnson’s first ball for six and then the third for four to finish 65 not out.

“We needed to make some more runs,” Australia captain Michael Clarke said.

“Then we couldn’t get the last couple (of English players) out … and we didn’t hit the stumps with run-outs as well.”

But Clarke insisted: “As soon as we get on that bus tomorrow we’ve got a final now so we look forward to playing it.”

The captain praised Coulter-Nile, 25, as a very good athlete who could bat and field as well as bowl.

“He’s certainly good enough to play at this level and I think he’s got an extremely bright future in all three forms of the game,” Clarke said of the right-arm quick from Perth who ended with 1-34 off 10 overs.

Whether Coulter-Nile retains his spot for Monday’s match depends on the pitch conditions.

Australia’s innings got off to a shaky start with Aaron Finch falling to the first legitimate ball and Watson a few overs later for six.

George Bailey, however, thumped 87 off 91 balls for his highest ODI score against England.

The Australian tally of 227 should have been a better after they’d fought back to be 5-209 with almost 10 overs to play.

But they lost their last five wickets for just 18 runs in the space of six overs.