Sangakara leads Sri Lanka to cricket World Cup win over Bangladesh

Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakara breathed life back into his team's ICC World Cup title hopes in his milestone match as he and man-of-the-match Tillakaratne Dilshan belted an unbroken double-century partnership to beat an fumbling Bangladeshi team by 92 runs here on Thursday.

Sangakara, who marked his 400th one-day international (ODI) with his fastest century in the format, was dropped twice before punishing the Tigers with an unbeaten 105 from 76 balls to compliment his partner's masterful 161 not out, the second highest score at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The pair combined again to quash any hope of a Bangladeshi fightback when Sangakara secured the stumping of his opposing captain Mashrafe Mortaza for Dilshan's second wicket as the Bangladeshis fell well short of the the island nation's 1/332, eventually surrendering for 240.

Sri Lanka can now use the momentum gained in Melbourne to make an assault on a fellow under-performer, England, in Wellington, New Zealand on Sunday.

Bangladesh had only tasted victory four times in 37 previous ODI matches against the 1996 world champions and the horrible history continued as opportunities to impose themselves on the game slipped through their fingers.

Woeful fielding gave the world No. 9 Bangladesh little chance of continuing their unbeaten run in the tournament, and several crucial errors in the field ensured the pressure on their more-favored but under-performing opposition lifted too often.

Sangakara was dropped once on 23 when the ball popped out of Taskin Ahmed's hands as the bowler dived into the turf, before the Sri Lankan captain was again given a life on 60 when he spooned a ball to the Mominul Haque at point.

Characterising the Bangladeshi's pitiful efforts in the field, the embarrassed Mominul then gave away three overthrows when his wayward throw at the bowler's end - a second attempt to dismiss the 37-year-old - wasn't seen by an inattentive long-on.

Sangakara, a veteran of the game marking a milestone only three other players have reached, made sure the Bangladeshis would rue their missed opportunities.

He and 38-year-old Dilshan, the fourth- and fifth-ranked ODI batsmen, found gaps with ease to regularly turn over the strike and relieve any bowling pressure the Tigers could apply.

The run-rate hovered below five-runs-an-over for much of the innings before the in-form batsmen, with wickets in hand, put their opponents to the sword and smacked 153 from the final 14 overs.

With their green uniforms blending into the expansive MCG turf, it almost looked like the Bangladeshis had not turned up for their first match at the sport's largest ground. And they may as well have not as they often looked distracted and lost in the deep boundaries.

The Bangladeshis butchered a perfect start when Mashrafe Mortaza found the edge of opener Lahiru Thirimanne's bat in the opening over only to watch his first slipsman Anamul Haque spill the waist-high catch and given the Sri Lankan his first of four lives.

Thirimanne, who rarely looked steady in his maiden fifty on Australian turf, could have again been dismissed when he edged past the short gully in the third over and again on 26 when an edge shot past the indecisive wicketkeeper, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Anamul Haque.

A fumbled stumping opportunity during an Thirimanne excursion down the pitch granted him yet another reprieve.

He eventually skied a ball to Taskin Ahmend at third man to give Rubel Hossain the only wicket of the innings and end the 122-run opening stand.

With the distractions at the other end thanks to his fortuitous partner, Dilshan continued to ease strokes past the Tiger fieldsmen, each boundary greeted with a flurry of Sri Lankan flags in the 35,000-strong crowd.

Those flags were again unfurled when the Captain Kumar walked out for what could be his last venture onto the world's largest cricket ground.

If Sri Lanka miss the final and it is indeed his final appearance in Melbourne, he made sure his fans left with good memories, belted the helpless Bangladeshi bowlers to all parts.

His fifty came from 45 balls while his 22nd ODI century, reached in the final over, came off a pulverizing 73 balls.

Meanwhile, Dilshan continued to guide balls into gaps as he went about building the pillar that held together the Sri Lankan innings.

The first triple-figure score by a Sri Lankan in an MCG ODI came from 115 balls but once that milestone had been reached, Dilshan too opened his shoulders and thumped his next 60 from 31 balls.

Dilshan's highest ODI score also bucked the modern trend of peppering the crowd with hard-hit sixes.

The controlled knock broke the record for the highest innings absent of boundary-clearing strike.

With ball in hand, the Sri Lankans were quick to cancel out any chance of an upset, taking a wicket in the first over and another four before Bangladesh made it past 100 runs.

Captain Shakib Al Hasan made a quick-fire 46 that gave his disappointed fans something to cheer and No. 8 batsman Sabbir Rahman made a solid 53 before succumbing to Lasith Malinga in the 47th over.

Malinga, who was the pick of the bowlers with 3/35, trapped teenager Taksim Ahmed leg before wicket on the next ball to set up a hat-trick ball when he meets England on Sunday.

Bangladesh, who remain in the quarter-final positions, will need a win against Group A's lowest ranked team, Scotland, next Thursday in Nelson, New Zealand, to secure entry into the knockout stages. Endi