Dilshan stars with bat and ball

Tillakaratne Dilshan played a compelling innings, scoring a hundred that set up a match-winning total for Sri Lanka, before he returned to take four Zimbabwe wickets to seal his side's progress to the quarterfinals of the 2011 World Cup. He will find it hard to better today's all-round performance in Pallekele.

Elton Chigumbura sent Sri Lanka in after winning the toss, and Dilshan came out ready to ambush Zimbabwe. Tinashe Panyangara bore the brunt of his assault, his first over going for 18 runs. Dilshan drove a full ball through mid-on, pulled a short one over midwicket for six, and drove and cut the next two deliveries to the off-side boundary. When spin was introduced in the fifth over to try and curb Sri Lanka's fast start, Dilshan skipped down the pitch and drove Ray Price to the extra cover boundary.

During the mandatory Powerplay, Dilshan's aggression did not waver and he helped Sri Lanka take 77 runs off it. After the fielding restrictions were lifted, however, he shifted to a lower gear and began to build his innings. Even though the cavalier shots were less frequent, Dilshan continued scoring at more than a run a ball. He got to his half-century off his 43rd.

Dilshan focused on accumulation as the spinners operated through the middle overs but was quick to pounce on lapses, cutting and pulling when the length was a fraction short. With Upul Tharanga, he added the World Cup's first double-century opening stand and batted Zimbabwe out of the game. He reached his 100 off 95 balls. When he was eventually dismissed - for 144 - it was because he played a tired shot in the 46th over, with the total on 289. His team-mates extended it to 327.

Kumar Sangakkara didn't give Dilshan the ball until the 28th over of Zimbabwe's chase, or the game might have ended much earlier than it did. Dilshan struck with his fourth delivery, having Prosper Utseya stumped, and was on a hat-trick in his second over after dismissing Craig Ervine and Greg Lamb. He could have had a hat-trick too, but Mahela Jayawardene dropped a tough chance at first slip. Dilshan, however, trapped Panyangara leg before to finish with figures of 4 for 4 in three overs.