Chasing the West Indies’ imposing total of 312 for four in 50 overs which was built around captain Brian Lara's majestic 116 and a pugnacious 94 from opener Chris Gayle, the Sri Lankans, who needed to score at 6.26 runs an over, made 313 for six in 49.3 overs to win with three balls to spare and take an unbeatable 2-0 lead.

Slimly-built 31-year-old all-rounder Upul Chandana transformed the match with a cavalier career-best 89, studded with five fours and four sixes off just 71 balls after coming to the crease at 153 for three in the 28th over.

At that stage, Sri Lanka required a further 160 runs in 22.2 overs but man-of-the-match Chandana and Mahela Jayawardene, who made 32 off 40 balls, featured in a match-winning fifth-wicket stand of 101 runs in 16.1 overs.

This partnership not only tilted the game firmly in Sri Lanka’s favour but also left the West Indies in shock and dejected as their batsmen had powered them to what appeared to be a winning total.

Marlon Samuels had also weighed in with a quick-fire unbeaten 56 off 36 balls with six fours and one six in the West Indies' healthy total but Sri Lanka were equal to the task, emulating their 1992 World Cup feat when they scored the same amount of runs to beat Zimbabwe.

The West Indies’ total was also the highest score in 17 One-Day matches at the ground but Sri Lanka, with all their top-order batsmen - captain Marvan Attapattu (47), Sanath Jayasuriya (41), Romesh Kaluwitharana (34) and Kumar Sangakkara (31), making useful contributions - gained a stunning victory.

Earlier, Lara, reverting to the No.3 position in the batting order, belted eight fours and two sixes in his entertaining innings off 106 balls after he had won the toss and batted on a placid pitch.

Whereas Lara, who appeared to edge the third ball he faced from left-arm pacer Chaminda Vaas into Kaluwitharana's gloves, was full of flair and flamboyance, Gayle was powerful in his stroke-play, smashing 12 fours and two sixes off 125 balls to lay the foundation for the Windies’ total.

Lara and Gayle, who joined forces after Wavell Hinds was trapped leg-before-wicket by Vaas for 10 with the total on 30, equalled the West Indies’ record second-wicket partnership of 137 runs against Sri Lanka which Phil Simmons and Richie Richardson set in 1993.

Gayle set the tone for the innings by hitting fast bowler Prabath Nissanka for one six and two fours in one over as he posted his fifty off 88 balls with seven fours and a six.

The tall 23-year-old Jamaican also smashed left-arm spinner Jayasuriya and wily off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan for two successive fours in consecutive overs as he raced into the 80s.

Lara reached his fifty off 66 balls with just two boundaries but needed only another 28 deliveries to get to his 17th ODI century while adding five fours and two sixes.

Gayle was not so lucky, missing a sixth ODI hundred when he attempted a sharp single to mid-on and was run-out at the bowler’s end by a direct throw from Muralitharan.

Ramnaresh Sarwan was also run-out for three in a mix-up with Lara but Samuels entered the fray and immediately went into high gear, hitting three fours and a huge six over extra cover in the 40th over of the innings from Chandana that cost 21 runs.

Lara took the cue from Samuels and flayed Sri Lanka’s trio of spin bowlers, Jayasuriya, Kumar Dharmasena and Muralitharan, who conceded 53 in his 10 overs without taking a wicket.

Jayasuriya went for 17 runs in the 42nd over, Dharmasena was dispatched for three fours and a six in the 43rd over which cost 20 runs and even Muralitharan found Lara hard to contain as his next over cost 14 runs.

Overall, Lara took 94 balls to reach his century but he was out off the first ball of the 48th over when he miscued a whip off Nissanka and gave Jayasuriya a simple catch at short midwicket.

His entertaining fourth-wicket alliance with Samuels, who sped to his fifty off 31 deliveries with five fours and a six, yielded 109 runs in just 9.1 overs.

In response, Jayasuriya and Kaluwitharana gave Sri Lanka a rousing start, posting fifty in just 7.3 overs during an opening stand of 71 runs when they scored at seven runs an over.

Jayasuriya raced to 41 off 35 balls with five fours and a six before he sliced a drive off Samuels and was caught by Vasbert Drakes at cover point.

Kaluwitharana, dropped off the very first ball of the innings by Drakes at leg gully off Dillon and by Sarwan, at second slip, off seamer Corey Collymore, went on to make 34 off 36 balls before he was run-out by a direct throw from Powell at backward point.

Atapattu made a fluent 47 off 54 balls as he added 75 runs in 15.2 overs with Sangakkara but when he was run-out by Sarwan’s direct hit while attempting a third run, at 153 for three, it was still an uphill task for Sri Lanka.

Sangakkara, who was dropped by Gayle at first slip on five off Dillon, was out in the first over from Drakes, who was belatedly introduced after 34 overs.

Chandana kept Sri Lanka on course by hitting off-spinner Ryan Hurley over midwicket for two sixes in successive overs and also hoisting Gayle overhead for a four, followed by a six to midwicket.

When a sharp shower briefly halted play, Sri Lanka were slightly ahead at 250 for four, requiring another 63 runs off 7.2 overs, should the Duckworth-Lewis calculation be applied.

But the stoppage lasted only five minutes and on resumption, Lara brought Hinds into the attack to bowl his slow medium stuff but he did not have the Midas touch and was quickly pulled out of the attack.

Chandana continued to ride his luck, pulling Drakes for a four between midwicket and long-on but could have been run-out on two occasions in the 45th over.

First, Hinds missed the stumps at the striker’s end with Chandana stranded out of his crease and three balls later, Drakes was also off-target at the bowler’s end when the batsman hit the ball back to the bowler and scampered a cheeky single.

The equation came down to 36 runs from five overs and then 29 runs off four overs but the West Indies fielder kept letting Chandana off the hook.

He had two chances in the 47th over bowled by Drakes when Hurley dropped a catch running around from backward square leg and substitute fielder David Bernard spilled another offering at long-on.

Chandana’s luck finally ran out when he was caught inside the midwicket boundary by Powell off Collymore.

With 18 runs needed off the final two overs, Drakes conceded 14 runs in the penultimate over with some wayward leg-side bowling even though he had the consolation of seeing Jayawardene taken by Lara, running back from midwicket.

Collymore was entrusted with the final over with four runs required but could not prevent the Sri Lankan victory as Dharmasena lifted him through midwicket for the winning runs.

WEST INDIES innings
C.Gayle run-out 94

W.Hinds lbw b Vaas 10

B.Lara c Jayasuriya b Nissanka 116

R.Sarwan run-out 3

M.Samuels not out 56

R.Powell not out 9

Extras: (lb-3, nb-6, w-15) 24

Total: (4 wickets, 50 overs) 312

Fall of wickets: 1-30, 2-167, 3-174, 4-283.

Bowling: Vaas 10-4-33-1 (nb-2, w-2), Nissanka 10-0-67-0 (nb-1, w-5), Dharmasena 8-0-54-0, Muralitharan 10-1-53-0 (nb-2, w-1), Jayasuriya 6-0-51-0 (w-1), Chandana 4-0-40-0, Dilshan 2-0-11-0.

SRI LANKA innings
R.Kaluwitharana run-out 34

S.Jayasuriya c Drakes b Samuels 41

M.Atapattu run-out 47

K.Sangakkara c Hinds b Drakes 31

U.Chandana c Powell b Collymore 89

M.Jayawardene c Lara b Drakes 32

T.Dilshan not out 13

K.Dharmasena not out 3

Extras: (lb-5, nb-6, w-12) 23

Total: (6 wickets, 49.4 overs) 313

Fall of wickets: 1-71, 2-78, 3-153, 4-192, 5-193.

Bowling: Dillon 10-0-66-0 (w-2), Collymore 9.3-0-53-1 (nb-2, w-2), Samuels