Veteran wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara on Wednesday registered three One-Day International (ODI) cricket world records — two with the bat and one with the gloves as Sri Lanka hammered Scotland by 148 runs in a World Cup Pool A match at the Bellerive Oval here.
Continuing his good form, Sangakkara, 37, once again showed his master class with a 95-ball 124. With this he became the first batsman to record four consecutive hundreds and registered his 25th ODI ton. In the process, he also became the first batsman to score four centuries in a World Cup and in an ODI tournament.
Seasoned opener Tilakaratne Dilshan (104) stroked to his 22nd ODI century and combined with Sangakkara to forge a 195-run partnership for the second wicket. It helped them post an imposing 363/9 in 50 overs.
In reply, Scotland were bowled out for 215 in 43.1 overs and slumped to their fifth consecutive loss. Skipper Preston Mommsen (60) and Freddie Coleman (70) shared a 118-run stand for the third wicket to put up some resistance but it was not enough.
Seamers Nuwan Kulasekara (3/20), Dushmantha Chameera (3/51) and Lasith Malinga (2/29) were all over Scotland. Thisara Perera and Dilshan picked a wicket each.
Not content with run-scoring records, Sangakkara also became the first man to effect 500 ODI dismissals. Coming into the match, he had 400 catches. He took two catches of Matthew Cross and Michael Leask. He now has 402 catches and 99 stumpings to his credit.
He also passed Adam Gilchrist's record of 52 World Cup dismissals by taking the catch off a faint edge from Leask. By the end of the match, he had taken 41 catches and made 13 stumpings in World Cups.
Gilchrist made 45 catches and seven stumpings in 31 World Cup matches while Sangakkara was playing his 36th.
"Sometimes things just fall in place. Everything clicks. No matter how hard you try to find that one thing, it becomes difficult," Sangakkara said after being adjudged Man-of-the-Match.
"I am not sure what that one thing is, but it is definitely working for me at the moment, so hopefully I can keep onto it."
With this win, Sri Lanka jumped to second spot in Pool A on the back of four wins in six matches. New Zealand are on top with 10 points from five matches, while Australia have seven points from five matches.
But they will face Scotland and are expected to finish second. If that happens, Sri Lanka will drop to third place and will hope that New Zealand beat Bangladesh that will result in the Tigers finishing fourth and face Pool B table toppers India in the quarter-finals.
Earlier, coming in at the fall of left-handed opener Lahiru Thirimanne (4) with the team only at 21/1 in the sixth over, Sangakkara and Dilshan batted with aplomb. They were hardly troubled by the Scotland bowlers and maintained a very good run rate.
While Dilshan reached his fifty in 54 balls, Sangakkara scored his half-century in 56 balls. They upped the ante after getting past the halfway mark.
However, Sangakkara, unusually, was more aggressive of the duo. Both completed their tons in the 34th over of the innings. While Dilshan completed a 97-ball 100, Sangakkara took just 30 balls to smack the next 50 runs for his fourth century of the tournament.
Sangakkara, who will quit ODI cricket post this World Cup, complemented his scores of 105 not out against Bangladesh, 117 unbeaten against England and 104 against Australia from earlier in the tournament.
Dilshan hit 10 fours and a six and got out not before putting his team in command at 216/2 in the 35th over.
Sangakkara hit 13 fours and four sixes off the 95 balls he faced in his innings. He edged it to wicketkeeper Cross off a Davey delivery.
At the death, Angelo Mathews' 21-ball 51 that comprised of six sixes and a four ensured that Sri Lanka got past the 300-run mark with ease. The skipper notched up his 26th ODI fifty.
Scotland pulled things back in the last five overs as the Sri Lanka batsmen threw their wickets away in search of big runs. But eventually they managed to reach 363, which was the highest-ever total against Scotland in ODI cricket.
For Scotland, Davey picked up three wickets, while Richie Berrington and Alasdair Evans picked up two wickets apiece. Rob Taylor and Matt Machan scalped a wicket each.
Brief scores: Kumar Sangakkara 124, Tilakaratne Dilshan 104, Angelo Mathews 51; Josh Davey 3/63, Richie Berrington 2/31) beat Scotland 215 all out in 43.1 overs (Freddie Coleman 70, Mommsen 60; Nuwan Kulasekara 3/20, Dushmantha Chameera 3/51, Lasith Malinga 2/29).
