Herath spins Sri Lanka to historic victory

Sri Lanka 338 & 279 South Africa 168 & 241 (Sri Lanka win by 208 runs)

The diminutive left-arm spinner Rangana Herath took five wickets as Sri Lanka recorded their first Test win in South Africa with a 208-run trouncing at Kingsmead yesterday. Sri Lanka bowled the home side out for 241 just before the close on the fourth day of the second Test to level the series at 1-1. It was the tourists' first Test victory in the country in nine attempts.

South Africa, chasing a record 450 for victory, collapsed dismally after lunch, slumping to 133 for 6 before AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn resisted for two and a quarter hours. Herath was the inspiration for Sri Lanka, taking 5 for 79 in 30.3 overs, to give him nine wickets in the Test and the man of the match award.

De Villiers and Steyn added 99 for the seventh wicket and appeared set to see South Africa through to stumps before Herath returned with a second new ball that was just three overs old. He quickly trapped De Villiers lbw for 69 with an arm-ball and Morne Morkel then slogged at part-time spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan, missed, and was out leg-before for five.

With bad light threatening to end play for the day, Herath removed Steyn for 43 and last man Marchant de Lange for 0 in the space of three balls.

Earlier South Africa had comfortably reached 37 without loss before Dilhara Fernando extracted steep bounce and forced captain Graeme Smith to edge to Jayawardene.

Jacques Kallis, playing in his 149th match, then completed the first pair of his Test career as South Africa lost five wickets for 50 runs in the afternoon session. Kallis top-edged a sweep off Herath into his own helmet, from where the ball looped to short-leg. Kallis was initially given not out by umpire Steve Davis but Sri Lanka had the decision overturned on referral.

Jacques Rudolph (22) edged a wide ball from Thisara Perera into the slips; Hashim Amla, on 51, was run out by Ashwell Prince, who followed for seven when a lifter from Fernando forced him to edge and Mark Boucher was trapped lbw by Herath.

The third and final Test begins in Cape Town next Tuesday.

Durban scoreboard

Second Test, Durban. Sri Lanka won by 208 runs; Three-match series level at 1-1; Sri Lanka won toss

Sri Lanka: First Innings 338 (Samaraweera 102, Chandimal 58; de Lange 7-81)

South Africa: First Innings 168 (Amla 54; Welegedara 5-52, Herath 4-49)

Sri Lanka: Second Innings (overnight 256-7; Sangakkara 108, Chandimal 54; Steyn 3-54)

T Perera c Kallis b Steyn 12

R Herath not out 8

C Welegedara c Amla b Steyn 10

D Fernando c Prince b Morkel 3

Extras (b5 lb3 w1 nb2) 11

Total (78.2 overs) 279

Fall (contd): 8-262, 9-276.

Bowling Morkel 18.2-4-46-2, Steyn 20-3-73-5, De Lange 13-2-45-1, Kallis 11-1-43-0, Tahir 16-1-64-2.

South Africa: Second Innings

J Rudolph c Jayawardene b Perera 22

*G Smith c Jayawardene b Fernando 26

H Amla run out 51

J Kallis c Paranavitana b Herath 0

A Prince c Paranavitana b Fernando 7

A B de Villiers lbw b Herath 69

†M Boucher lbw b Herath 7

D Steyn lbw b Herath 43

M Morkel lbw b Dilshan 5

Imran Tahir not out 0

M de Lange b Herath 0

Extras (b6 lb1 w3 nb1) 11

Total (87.3 overs) 241

Fall 1-37, 2-88, 3-97, 4-106, 5-116, 6-133, 7-232, 8-241, 9-241.

Bowling Welegedara 16-5-33-0, Perera 13-0-48-1, Fernando 13-3-29-2, Dilshan 11-2-35-1, Herath 30.3-7-79-5, Mathews 3-0-9-0, Samaraweera 1-0-1-0.

Umpires SJ Davis (Aus) and R A Kettleborough (Eng).

Final Test Tuesday 3-7 January (Cape Town).