Kumar Sangakkara became the first player to score four consecutive one-day international hundreds and quartet in a World Cup as Sri Lanka swept Scotland aside to go into the quarter-finals with four wins from six.
Sangakkara’s 95-ball 124 underpinned Sri Lanka’s commanding 363 for four, which Scotland fell 148 runs short of at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart to remain winless.
Sri Lanka had reached the last eight when Bangladesh beat England on Monday, so today they were playing to finish as high in Pool A as possible. Victory leaves them second after their six group games, but third is likely to be their best finish given Australia play Scotland on Sunday.
Sangakkara on @bbctms"Records DO matter... those are certain things that you chase, you like to keep those goals"pic.twitter.com/Z6cNsxAn2P
— Test Match Special (@bbctms) March 11, 2015
Today Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, who hit his fourth World Cup century, put on 195 for the second wicket before captain Angelo Mathews struck a swift fifty.
In reply skipper Preston Mommsenand Freddie Coleman made measured half-centuries, but Scotland never seriously threatened Sri Lanka and lost their last six wickets for 26 runs.
Sangakkara, who at 37 is to retire from ODIs after the World Cup and play for Surrey, said: "Sometimes things just fall into place, everything clicks. It's difficult to pinpoint it.
"Maybe it's because I'm making a lot of better decisions, the right decisions at the right time, taking risks at the right time, being more calculated, being a bit more positive.
"I don't know what that one thing is, but whatever it is it's working for me at the moment and I'd like to hold on to that for as long as I can."
After winning the toss Sri Lanka lost Lahiru Thirimanne to Alasdair Evans early on, bringing together Dilshan and Sangakkara who responded with a measured approach.
Kumar Sangakkara is named as Player of the Match as he brings up his FOURTH #cwc15 century in a row! #SLvSCO#cwc15pic.twitter.com/2jgVJntvQb
— ICC (@ICC) March 11, 2015
That was until the 25th over when Dilshan hit Josh Davey consecutively for two fours and a six to raise a century partnership.
Both accelerated and reached three figures in back-to-back Kyle Coetzer balls just before the batting powerplay was taken an over early.
Davey checked Sri Lanka’s progress with three wickets in two overs, including Dilshan and Sangakkara but only after the latter had plundered 24 from an Evans over.
Mathews, who was dropped on 21 at deep midwicket, picked up the mantle, flying to the second-fastest World Cup fifty with four straight sixes off Matt Machan before immediately holing out to the same bowler.
Davey’s 3-63 made him the World Cup’s top wicket-taker with 14 scalps but, although Scotland chipped away in the closing overs, Sri Lanka posted a daunting total.
Scotland suffered a hammer blow from the second ball of the reply with their leading batsman Kyle Coetzer being caught and bowled by Lasith Malinga. Calum MacLeod and Machan followed to leave the score 44 for three in the 12th over.
Sri Lanka ease to a comofrtable victory over Scotland: http://t.co/8y1lui4pon#CWC15#fireituppic.twitter.com/EO5dtoAcyP
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) March 11, 2015
Mommsen and Coleman dug in with a valiant century alliance, albeit Coleman was shelled just before the milestone arrived.
The stand was worth 118 when Thisara Perera had Mommsen held at short cover for 60, and Coleman soon departed for 70 to the economical Nuwan Kulasekara in the first over of the batting powerplay to prompt a game-ending slide as Kulasekara and fellow seamer Dushmantha Chameera finished with three victims each.