Nobody, though, could dislodge Atapattu. The Sri Lankan opener
scored a sedate tenth ODI century, making 103 not out, as his
team posted 256/5 in their 50 overs. Atapattu's significant
partnerships with Jayasuriya (41 in 12.2 overs), Avishka
Gunawardene (83 in 18 overs), de Silva (51 in 10 overs) and Kumar
Sangakkara (52 in 6.2 overs) were all vital in ensuring that Sri
Lanka stood a strong chance of beating Zimbabwe and qualifying
for the semi-final.