Historic victory for Sri Lanka

Cricket Sri Lanka 232 and 338-9 dec Pakistan 214 and 212 Sri Lanka win by 144 runs

Sri Lanka won their second away Test series when they beat Pakistan by 144 runs in the third and final Test in Sialkot yesterday, despite sterling resistance from Pakistan's wicketkeeper, Moin Khan, who was left unbeaten on 117. Moin shared a 65-run stand with paceman Aamir Nazir for the 10th wicket, a Pakistan record. They came together when Pakistan, 99 for 6 overnight chasing 357 to win, had subsided to 147 for 9.

Sri Lanka's triumph made them only the third team this century after South Africa and Pakistan to win a series after losing the first Test. Sri Lanka's only previous away Test series win was 1-0 in a two-match contest in New Zealand last March.

Sri Lanka's triumph - it was also the first time they had won a series against Pakistan in six attempts, and the first time Pakistan have lost a series at home for 15 years - was acclaimed as "momentous" by the Sri Lankan captain, Arjuna Ranatunga, who was named man of the match. "Everyone played his part in the victory and it was the all-round performance which produced this success," he said.

(Sri Lanka won toss)

SRI LANKA - First innings 232

PAKISTAN - First innings 214

SRI LANKA - Second innings 338-9 dec

PAKISTAN - Second innings

(Overnight: 99-6)

Aamir Sohail c Hathurusinghe

b Wickremasinghe 5

Shoaib Mohammad c and b Vaas 1

Ramiz Raja c Mahanama

b Wickremasinghe 4

Inzamam-ul-Haq Mahanama b Vass 0

Basit Ali c Dharmasena b Vaas 27

Zahid Fazal c Gurusinha b Vaas 1

Moin Khan not out 117

Aqib Javed run out 6

Ata-ur-Rehman c Dunusinghe

b Wickremasinghe 4

Mohammad Akram b Wickremasinghe 2

Aamir Nazir c Tillekeratne b de Silva 11

Extras (b13 lb10 nb11) 34

Total 212

Fall: 1-7 2-7 3-7 4-13 5-15 6-79 7-106 8-132 9-147.

Bowling: Wickremasinghe 18-4-55-4; Vaas 24-9-37-4; Gurusinha 3-0-16-0; Dharmasena 10-2-23-0; Muralitharan 17-3-53-0; De Silva 4-2-5-1.

n Dermot Reeve is to be sued for more than $HK2.5m (pounds 200,000) after a fan was left partially blind when a ball hit her in the face last year as she watched a pre-match warm-up in Hong Kong. Marianne Hasell, 32, suffered a fractured skull, grazed cornea and a detached retina when the Warwickshire captain missed a fast throw by team-mate Jonathan Garden. Mrs Hassell alleges that she had asked the players to move away before the incident as she felt in danger, but they had declined.