Sangakkara, Dilshan tons set up big win

THE REPORT BY BRYDON COVERDALE

Sri Lanka 363 for 9 (Sangakkara 124, Dilshan 104, Mathews 51, Davey 3-63) beat Scotland215 (Coleman 70, Mommsen 60, Kulasekara 3-20, Chameera 3-51) by 148 runs.

Holding: Sangakkara can play as long as he wants

Kumar Sangakkara is retiring from one-day internationals at the end of this tournament. You have to wonder why. But regardless of how far Sri Lanka progress, Sangakkara will at least go out in personal glory. At Bellerive Oval, he became the first man in ODI history to score centuries in four consecutive innings, and the first to make four hundreds in one World Cup, and together with Tillakaratne Dilshan he ensured a comfortable win over Scotland.

The 148-run victory should mean Sri Lanka finish third in Pool A, assuming Australia beat Scotland and New Zealand defeat Bangladesh. Scotland showed some fight with the bat, but the 195-run partnership compiled by Sangakkara and Dilshan was the difference. To cap off his outstanding day, Sangakkara also moved past Adam Gilchrist to top the all-time World Cup wicketkeeping dismissal tally.

Sangakkara and Dilshan have become one of cricket's most consistent double-acts and this was their 20th century stand in ODIs; only Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar have combined for more. Sangakkara finished with 124 and Dilshan made 104; Angelo Mathews later added the second-fastest fifty of this World Cup, off 20 balls, but a series of late wickets meant Sri Lanka missed the opportunity for a 400-plus total.

Scotland's target was 364 and perhaps on 364 days of the year it would be an unrealistic aim against a Full Member. This was one of those days, although Freddie Coleman and Preston Mommsen ensured respectability. Throughout the tournament Scotland have shown enterprise and resolve, impressed observers while coming up short. It was the case once again.

When Kyle Coetzer sent a return catch to Lasith Malinga in the first over, Scotland might have had flashbacks to their being routed by Malinga for 101 in their only previous ODI meeting in 2011. The slow, shaky start continued when Calum MacLeod was bowled by Nuwan Kulasekara for 11 and Matt Machan was trapped lbw by Dilshan for 19.

But Mommsen and Coleman took their lead from the Sangakkara-Dilshan example earlier in the day, finding the gaps, rotating the strike, picking up boundaries. When they came together Scotland needed 320 at more than eight an over, so their efforts were unlikely to affect the outcome of the match, but they at least made Sri Lanka work for it.

Coleman, brought in for his second match of the tournament, took the lead and struck seven boundaries, including a beautiful straight drive off Dushmantha Chameera. Mommsen cover drove well and pulled when the opportunity arose, and both men frustrated Sri Lanka, bringing up half-centuries in reasonably brisk time.

For 75 minutes they worked together before Mommsen drove on the up off Thisara Perera and was caught by a juggling Lahiru Thirimanne for 60 off 75 balls. Coleman followed four overs later when he holed out to long-on off Kulasekara for 70 from 74 balls, but his maiden ODI half-century - which had come off 44 balls - showed his class.

Coleman had been dropped on 54 when Kusal Perera somehow contrived to grass a simple chance from a slice to deep cover, and it was indicate of a Sri Lanka that seemed happy enough to go through the motions in the field, knowing that victory was inevitable. In the end it was: Richie Berrington hung around for 29 but, the lower order fizzled out in the 44th over.

Sri Lanka's batting had been just too strong. As usual, Sangakkara's runs came all around the wicket as he picked the gaps or cleared the field with ease. His only half-chance came on 84 when he crunched a full toss from Machan and a diving MacLeod at midwicket got his left hand to the ball on its way to the boundary. Otherwise, Sangakkara was clinical, and struck 13 fours and four sixes.

Full report to follow...