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PALLEKELE: Sri Lanka rode on a record-breaking opening stand between Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan to beat Zimbabwe by 139 runs and reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Thursday.
Tharanga (133) and Dilshan (144) put on 282 for the first wicket, beating the previous World Cup best of 194 made by Pakistan's Saeed Anwar and Wajahatullah Wasti against New Zealand in 1999, to help their team to 327-6.
In reply, Zimbabwe made 188 despite enjoying a storming start of their own through Brendan Taylor, who hit 80 with nine fours and a six, and Regis Chakabva (35).
They had put on 116 by the 20th over until they were separated by wily Muttiah Muralitharan, who clean-bowled Chakabva.
Tatenda Taibu (4) was then caught behind by a diving Kumar Sangakkara off Angelo Mathews to make the score 125-2.
Taylor's innings was ended by a Mahela Jayawardene catch at midwicket off Mathews with the total on 132 in the 25th over.
Jayawardene then pulled off a brilliant one-handed catch in the slips to get rid of Greg Lamb off Dilshan, who had claimed Craig Ervine lbw the ball before.
Dilshan finished with figues of 4-4.
Zimbabwe's challenge petered out, leaving New Zealand, Pakistan and Australia as virtual certainties to join Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals from Group A.
Earlier, having registered the fourth best ODI partnership of all time, Tharanga was out for 133, caught by Elton Chigumbura off Chris Mpofu in the 45th over.
Dilshan, on 144, followed shortly afterwards, caught by Tinashe Panyangara off Prosper Utseya.
Their partnership was just four runs short of the ODI record stand of 286 for the first wicket between Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya at Leeds in 2006.
