Angelo Mathews heaped praise on Kumar Sangakkara after he enjoyed a record-setting day in Sri Lanka's 64-run Cricket World Cup defeat to Australia on Sunday. 

Having seen Glenn Maxwell hit the second-fastest World Cup century for Australia as they reached 376-9 from their 50 overs at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sri Lanka knew they would need an exceptional batting performance to claim victory.

They got one from Sangakkara, whose magnificent 102 saw him become the first man to score three straight World Cup centuries and join Sachin Tendulkar as only the second player to score 14,000 runs in one-day internationals.

Sangakkara will retire from ODI cricket at the end of the World Cup, however, his performance in the tournament suggests he could continue for some time yet.

"It was a bit too much to chase. We conceded 200 runs in the last 16 overs, and it was rather way too much," captain Mathews said. 

"I thought the batsmen did really well, but unfortunately we couldn't get over the line. Sangakkara is in the form of his life. Three hundreds in three games is absolutely amazing. [He] seems to be getting better with age."

Lasith Malinga (2-59) was the pick of the Sri Lanka bowlers, but overall it was an underwhelming performance from their attack.

Mathews added: "We have to improve our bowling and fielding, and if we can keep a well-respected opposition to under 300, we should be good."