Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya produced a performance to rank alongside the greats who have graced Eden Park in Auckland with their batting when hitting his side to a crushing nine-wicket win over New Zealand today.

Jayasuriya made a mockery of the 181 runs New Zealand made before they were dismissed in the 45th of the 47 overs available.

Batting never looked easier for the Sri Lankan hit man who scored his 50 off 41 balls and went on to his tenth century in ODIs off 76 balls. He was eventually out for 103 off 83 balls when unable to clear the tallest man in the New Zealand team Jacob Oram who was fielding on the mid-wicket boundary. With 2.01m in height to play with he held a catch that would have eluded most others.

Jayasuriya hit 10 fours and six sixes in his innings, notable for the crispness of his timing and the manner in which he punished the inexperienced New Zealand attack mercilessly.

At one stage he hit three sixes off successive balls from New Zealand bowler Craig McMillan and at one stage looked set to break Chris Cairns' fastest ODI century in New Zealand from 75 balls. Jayasuriya took one ball more.

Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar has blazed his way into the New Zealand psyche at Eden Park in recent years. Home players Martin Crowe and Mark Greatbatch managed some superb hitting displays on the ground over their careers. New Zealand wicket-keeper Ian Smith hit a magnificent 173 on the ground while further back in history names like Walter Hammond and Bruce Taylor have been among those to leave indelible impressions.

Sanath Jayasuriya will fit easily among that gallery of players for his display today.

He and opening partner Marvan Atapattu scored 158 runs before Jayasuriya was caught.

The only chance Jayasuriya gave was on 96 when he hit a ball back to bowler Chris Harris. The shock at finally finding a chink in the seemingly impenetrable Jayasuriya armour can have been the only excuse for Harris, normally the most reliable of catchers, dropping the ball.

"It was one of the greatest innings I have played," he said.

"I was hitting really well, I was enjoying my innings.

"I was due for a big one from the last few games. I thought if I could go through the first 10 or 12 overs I must go through for a big innings. We were more positive today, we didn't want to get rattled in the middle stages.

"I was middling well, and I have been seeing the ball well. It was a very good pitch. If I see the ball I always go after the bowling," he said.

Jayasuriya was especially pleased to see Atapattu bat through for the victory. His was a classical display of support batting and offered a lesson that should be rammed home to the New Zealand batsmen who seem unable to fathom the worth of support play, or even, on today's performance, basic batsmanship ideals like survival and adaptation.

Atapattu finished on 59 not out from 83 balls and hit six fours and one six.

"Normally my batting style is to go like that because Marvan is at the other end to bat 50 overs.

"I was very happy to see Marvan getting the runs because he is the key man because he can get bat through the innings," he said.

The partnership the pair enjoyed added the 158 runs in 108 minutes and from 153 balls.

New Zealand's bowling was completely overwhelmed and it is the first occasion that the new blood in the team have been put to the sword. It wasn't a pretty sight and if confidence was low before the game, it will be much worse now.

Chris Martin went for 26 runs from six overs, James Franklin for 38 from four, Jacob Oram for 16 from three and even Daniel Vettori was hit for 44 runs from his seven overs. Craig McMillan suffered too with 25 from four overs while Chris Harris had the solitary success, at a cost of 33 runs from 5.5 overs.

The bowlers however, could be exonerated from the fact that they were the ambulance attendants cleaning up after the collision which dismembered the New Zealand batting.

It is rare that a wave of ineptitude has washed over so many New Zealand batsmen in one innings.

Such was the technical negligence of shot selection in nearly every dismissal by the recognised batsmen in the side it has to be wondered whether the players have become unhinged.

Sri Lankan coach Dav Whatmore has quickly worked out the foibles of the Kiwis and there was a clearly obvious plan of attack to put pressure on the already struggling batsmen with astute field placing. It proved immensely successful.

Craig McMillan, batting at No 4, scored a breezy 61 from 75 balls but then played a dreadful shot to be cleaned out by Kumar Dharmasena. Nathan Astle looked in parts as if he might be about to break out but was deceived by Mutiah Muralitharan.

But that was about it as Dharmasena secured his 100th ODI wicket with a bag of three for 33 while Muralitharan finished with two for 41.

Chaminda Vaas charged back into the international game after several weeks out with injury and quickly settled into the nagging accuracy just outside off stump which saw several edges taken but only two going to hand.

The way the Sri Lankans are playing the prospects are real now that New Zealand is set to suffer a whitewash.

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