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Sri Lanka reached their target of 37 in just 4.4 overs to complete a stunning nine-wicket win over Canada in Group B in Paarl.

Having dismissed Canada for the lowest-ever one-day international total, Sri Lanka swept home in rapid fashion, taking 4.4 overs, for the loss of only captain Sanath Jayasuriya for nine.

Canada, defending a pitiful total, had no answer to the Sri Lanka batsmen inside the first three overs as they raced to 23.

Canada's Sri Lankan-born opener Sanjayan Thuraisingam then trapped Jayasuriya leg before for nine but Marvan Atapattu (24) saw his side home.

Not one Canadian batsman managed to get into double figures as the Sri Lankan bowling quartet of Chaminda Vaas, Prabath Nissanka, Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando blew them away, dismissing the North Americans for 36 inside 19 overs.

Nissanka led the way with figures of four for 12 off seven overs while the in-form Vaas picked up three victims for just 15 runs, also from seven overs.

The previous worst one-day international total was the 38 that Zimbabwe made against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2001.

Canada had also set the previous lowest World Cup total after being reduced to 45 by England at Old Trafford in 1979.

Vaas continued his devastating bowling form. Both opening bowlers were on hat-tricks at one stage of the innings, but neither could match Vaas' feat against Bangladesh earlier in the tournament.

Vaas had taken a hat-trick with the first three balls of the match and four wickets in the first over of the game against Bangladesh in Pietermaritzburg, finishing with figures of six for 18 in that match.

While the Canadians survived the first over in this match, everything started to go wrong in the second over when John Davison was dismissed for nought, trapped leg before by Nissanka with the total also still on nought.

Vaas got into the act in the fifth over when he trapped Fazil Samad leg before without scoring.

With the final ball of his fourth over Vaas induced an edge from Desmond Chumney (9) and with the first ball of the next over he trapped Ian Billcliff leg before for one with the score on 12 for four.

He was on a hat-trick again but Canadian captain Joe Harris managed to survive the hat-trick ball.

Canada's struggles continued as Nissanka trapped both Nicholas de Groot and Ishwar Maraj leg before with the first two balls of his fifth over.

He also missed out on a hat-trick but Canada were in deep trouble at 12 for six.

Harris lifted the gloom when he drove Vaas through the covers from successive balls to bring the 20 up.

Nissanka got Harris (9) in the next over when he hit his wicket.

The Canadians got no relief from the change bowlers.

Muttiah Muralitharan and Dilhara Fernando both claimed wickets from their first overs.

Muralitharan wrapped up the innings when he bowled Austin Codrington for a duck.