Sri Lanka on course for final

Jayawardene's unbeaten 115 underpinned a total of 289 for five - and then the Kiwi reply lost four wickets for 11 runs, including two in two balls from Muttiah Muralitharan, to lurch to 115 for six after 25 overs.

A match which had therefore threatened to ebb and flow on the back of a 72-run stand between Peter Fulton and Scott Styris appeared as good as over.

Jayawardene's patiently-paced and expertly-executed hundred had augmented Upul Tharanga's run-a-ball 73 to set an unlikely target for New Zealand.

Lasith Malinga and Chaminda Vaas then made life even tougher with impressive new-ball spells, the former in particular taking advantage of awkward light to beat the bat with the majority of his express deliveries in a spell of one for five in four overs.

His victim was New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, lbw to a ball snaking into him at a hurtling pace.

Vaas' swing was also a handful, and he eventually had number three Ross Taylor lbw aiming to leg with a touch of desperation. Opener Fulton weathered the storm, however, to launch a short-lived fightback with Styris.

It was only when Styris chipped Tillekeratne Dilshan's off-spin tamely to midwicket that a damaging collapse began.

Next to go was Jacob Oram, to a diving return catch by Murali, who struck with his very next ball when Brendon McCullum mistimed a sweep to loop to square leg where Chamara Silva did well to complete the dismissal.

Sanath Jayasuriya got in on the act when Fulton holed out at mid-on - leaving New Zealand with nowhere to go.