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KINGSTON, Jamaica - Mahela Jayawardene rammed Shane Bond's bold pre-match predictions down the New Zealand strike bowler's throat today, crafting a masterful unbeaten century to guide Sri Lanka to the brink of a second cricket World Cup finals appearance.
Jayawardene's exquisitely timed 115 off 109 balls at Sabina Park was the ideal riposte to Bond's assessment that Sri Lanka's batting was vulnerable if Sanath Jayasuriya and Kumar Sangakkara were removed early.
Sri Lanka's usually dangerous duo managed only 19 runs between them but Jaywardene and Upul Tharanga (73) made a mockery of Bond's bravado as Sri Lanka slammed an imposing 289 for five.
Jayawardene twisted the knife in even further when the fast bowler dropped a catchable chance on the deep square boundary when he was on 70 and accelerating towards his first ton in 23 World Cup appearances.
Bond parried the ball onto the rope to provide Jayawardene with the first of three sixes amid another disastrous period of "death" bowling which offered up 102 runs off the last 60 deliveries.
Jayawardene, who previously notched four half centuries in the tournament, made a necessarily circumspect start after Sangakkara was picked up by a diving Stephen Fleming at mid on in the 14th over with the score of 67.
The elegant right hander took 34 balls to reach double figures and another 14 deliveries to reach the fence for the first time, but after he posted 50 off 76 Jayawardene switched into overdrive to punish New Zealand's wilting and wayward attack.
He ultimately toyed with an attack debilitated by Bond's ineffectiveness, Jacob Oram clearly struggling with his heel injury and a labouring James Franklin, who still boasted the best figures of two for 46 off nine overs.
A finger injury also restricted the normally reliable Scott Styris to a solitary over while New Zealand's response has been compromised by Craig McMillan's straining a stomach muscle.
He will not bat at in his usual position at five -- and possibly not at all.
Earlier New Zealand could have been forgiven for thinking the cricketing Gods were on their side when Franklin disturbed the swashbuckling Jayasuriya's middle stump after the opener managed just one -- and Sangakkara's underwhelming campaign continued.
But Tharanga's fluent 73 off 74 balls kept the scoreboard clicking over while Jayawardene dug himself in before blossoming to stroke 10 boundaries.
Tharanga, who averaged just 24.33 from nine previous innings in the West Indies, was the only Sri Lankan batsmen to sustain any early momentum and also appeared set for a substantial score when Daniel Vettori bowled him around his legs when the score was 111.
Jayawardene and the in-form Chamara Silva then added 41 for the fourth wicket and were looking ominous until Bond made his customary breakthrough early in his second spell.
Silva was the unlucky victim, cut off by South African umpire Rudi Koertzen leg before wicket after he the ball deviated off a thick inside edge.
His able replacement Tillekaratne Dilshan also suffered a poor decision when he was given out leg before by Australian Simon Taufel for 30 despite Oram's delivery being on course to miss leg stump by a considerable margin.
Franklin apart, the New Zealand bowlers rarely threatened, though they were not helped by a listless fielding effort.
Bond recorded an unflattering one for 59 while spin twins Vettori and Jeetan Patel were picked off the the tune of 51 and 62 runs respectively.
SCOREBOARD
Sri Lanka
U Tharanga b Vettori 73
S Jayasuriya b Franklin 1
K Sangakkara c Fleming b Franklin 18
M Jayawardene not out 115
C Silva lbw b Bond 21
T Dilshan lbw b Oram 30
R Arnold not out 14
Extras (3lb, 9w, 5nb) 17
Total (for 5 wkts, 50 overs) 289
Fall: 13 (Jayasuriya), 67 (Sangakkara), 111 (Tharanga), 152 (Silva), 233 (Dilshan)
Bowling: J Franklin 9-1-46-2 (2nb, 2w), S Bond 10-1-59-1 (1nb, 3w), J Oram 9-0-60-1 (2nb, 1w), D Vettori 10-1-51-1 (1w), J Patel 10-0-62-0, S Styris 1-0-8-0 (1w).
- NZPA
