Date-stamped : 07 Mar96 - 02:15 ODI # 1073 Wills World Cup 1996, Match 29 Kenya v Sri Lanka, Group A (Match 15). Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy. 6 March 1996 ====> REPORT (Daily News, Sri Lanka) Sri Lanka 398/5 - One-day & WC Landmark From Sa`adi Thawfeeq at Asgiriya ASGIRIYA, Wednesday - Sri Lankan batsmen massacred the hapless Kenyan bowling attack to the tune of 398 for 5 wickets off 50 overs after being sent in to bat first in the final Group `A` Wills World Cup matcch played at the Asgiriya Stadium here today. On a bright and sunny day, quite unusual with the weather in Kandy, Sri Lanka spearheaded by Aravinda de Silva, who smashed a brilliant 145 off 115 balls went on to record the highest total in one- day internationals beating the previous highest of 363 for 7 off 55 overs by England against Pakistan at Nottingham in 1992. The total also broke the highest in a World Cup tournament scored by West Indies against Sri Lanka at Karachi - 360 for 4 in 1987. It was also easily Sri Lanka`s highest in one-day internationals surpassing the 329 they had scored against West Indies in a Singer Champions trophy match in Sharjah last October. FIRST 50 IN 20 BALLS Records continued to tumble in this high scoring innings where Kenyans came up against the full blast of the Sri Lankan batting line-up, considered to be one of the strongest in the tournament. The Kenyan bowlers had no answer to the assault initially launched by openers Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana who put on 83 runs off just 40 balls. The pair posted the 50-run partnership off only 20 balls. After both fell to Edward Odumbe, who was Kenya`s most successful bowler with 2 for 34 off five overs, Asanka Gurusinha (84 off 103 balls, 3 sixes, 7 boundaries) and de Silva (145 off 115 balls, 5 sixes, 14 fours) together put a record stand of 184 off 182 balls for the third wicket. De Silva became the first Sri Lankan to score a century in a World Cup match when he reached the coveted figures off 100 balls with 13 fours in the 43rd over of the innings. With captain Arjuna Ranatunga, who was made a rapid unbeaten 75 off 40 balls, with one six and 13 fours, de Silva put on 106 for the fourth wicket off 61 balls. Both de Silva and Ranatunga passed 5,000 runs individually in one-day internationals during their respective knocks. MAN OF THE MATCH: Aravinda de Silva. Source:: Daily News (http://www.lanka.net) ====> REPORT (Electronic Telegraph, UK) World Cup: Sri Lanka warn England with power display BY NELSON CLARE IN KANDY ENGLAND were given a stark warning yesterday about the batting power they can expect to face in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Sri Lanka, their opponents on Saturday, recorded the highest total in one-day internationals in defeating Kenya by 144 runs. Sri Lanka`s 398 for five persuaded bookmakers to make them odds-on favourites to beat England, who are struggling for form having lost three of their five group games. Only on Tuesday John Barclay, England`s assistant manager, had said that the Sri Lankans were the quarter-final opponents they wanted, though he added: "Which isn`t to say that they won`t be very hard to beat." Sri Lanka`s chief contributor was Aravinda de Silva who stroked 145, including five sixes and 14 fours, to become the first batsman from his country to score a century in the World Cup. Their total beat the previous best for a limited overs international of 363 for seven in 55 overs by England against Pakistan at Trent Bridge in 1992. It also surpassed the World Cup record of 360 for four by the West Indies against Sri Lanka in Karachi in 1987. `They are as good as any in this World Cup` The explosive batting of Sri Lanka made Harilal Shah, the manager of Kenya, to state: "I think Sri Lanka are the new favourites to win the Cup. Batting wins matches and Sri Lanka have the best batting side in the world." Alec Stewart, the England vice-captain who led the side in Sri Lanka when substituting for Graham Gooch in 1993, said last night: "When I was captain we lost the Test and the one-days to them in their own country. "Ten years ago, if not a formality, you would have reckoned on us to beat them. Over the last 18 months they have played some very good cricket and are now up there with your top one-day sides. They are as good as any in this World Cup." Stewart believes that one way to beat Sri Lanka is to make them bat first if possible. "They are a good side chasing, that is their strength. At the same time you must take wickets to prevent them getting off to a flyer as they did against India in the group game." They won then, too, and finished with maximum points. `The problem was that we had very few games to play` Arjuna Ranatunga, the Sri Lanka captain, expressed his disappointment with the bowling and fielding of his side. "We have some ideas on what to do about it before the England match," he said. "The problem was that we had very few games to play." A capacity crowd of nearly 20,000 had packed the little stadium and those who could not get inside found vantage points overlooking the ground to catch a glimpse of de Silva who was dropped twice by wicketkeeper Kennedy Otieno. De Silva was ably supported by Asanka Gurusinha (84) and Ranatunga, who was 75 not out. The tempo had been set by another opening stand between Sanath Jayasuriya (44) and Romesh Kaluwitharana (33), who put on 83 in just 6.3 overs. Needing to score at an average of eight runs per over, Kenya replied with 254 for seven in 50 overs, which featured a vigorous 96 by Steve Tikolo and 41 from Hitesh Modi. The aggregate match total of 652 for 12 wickets created another Cup record, eclipsing the previous highest of 626 for 14 wickets in 120 overs by Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Swansea in the 1983 competition. Man of the match: P A de Silva Source :: Electronic Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk) Contributed by vg (vpg0001@jove.acs.unt.edu)