BLOEMFONTEIN (South Africa), Feb 10: Sanath Jayasuriya struck a sparkling century to inspire Sri Lanka to a comprehensive 47-run win over New Zealand in their opening World Cup Group ‘B’ match on Monday.

The Sri Lanka captain blasted 120 off 125 balls to help the 1996 champions amass a daunting total of 272 for seven before New Zealand, despite a magnificent 141 by Scott Styris, collapsed to 225 all out in front of a sparse crowd at Goodyear Park.

Styris’s swashbuckling knock, his first One-day International hundred, included six sixes before he threw his wicket away at the death after running out of partners.

Hashan Tillekeratne chipped in with an unbeaten 81 and shared a 170-run partnership with Jayasuriya before the Kiwi bowlers struck back to capture six late wickets and restrict the Sri Lankans.

But New Zealand, desperately needing to win the match after announcing they plan to boycott their game against Kenya because of security concerns, made a disastrous start to their reply when they lost their top three batsmen in the first six overs.

Styris scored almost two-thirds of his team’s runs with only all rounder Chris Cairns (32) offering any other sustained resistance as Sri Lanka cruised to their 14th victory in their last 17 one-day games against New Zealand.

Jayasuriya registered his 16th one-day hundred and first in the World Cup, surpassing his 82 against England in 1996 quarterfinal at Karachi, after a typically flamboyant innings that featured 14 boundaries and a large slice of good fortune.

The explosive opener was given the benefit of the doubt to a confident appeal for caught behind off seamer Daryl Tuffey on 18 and two dropped catches by wicket-keeper Lou Vincent on 86 and 93.

The 33-year-old brought up his half-century when he hit Andre Adams through point for three successive fours and reached his hundred off 111 deliveries when he guided a bouncer from Shane Bond to the third man boundary.

Tillekeratne was content to play a more subdued role, striking just five fours in his 106-ball knock, but he held the innings together once his captain departed with the total on 193, trapped lbw by Nathan Astle.

Sri Lanka lost six wickets for 70 runs, Mahela Jayawardene (one), Aravinda de Silva (12), Kumar Sangakkara (13), Russel Arnold (12) and Chaminda Vaas (five) all falling cheaply to leave Tillakaratne battling away on his own.

New Zealand’s reply faltered immediately when Astle was run out in the first over attempting a suicidal single, and captain Stephen Fleming and Craig McMillan followed in quick succession, both caught by wicket-keeper Sangakkara off paceman Pulasthi Gunaratne.

Cairns and Styris put on 78 for the fourth wicket until Cairns spooned a return catch to Aravinda de Silva, leaving Styris to fight a rearguard action.

The 27-year-old was dropped by Gunaratne at deep mid-wicket on 56 and survived a missed stumping on 78.

Throwing caution to the wind as the wickets tumbled around him, Styris clubbed three late sixes off finger spinner Muttiah Muralitharan before he top-edged a ball from Arnold to deep square leg in the 46th over to hand Sri Lanka victory.