Proteas face Murali magic, lose Test

Colombo: Muttiah Muralitharan took six second-innings wickets and 10 for the match to propel Sri Lanka to a crushing innings and 153-run win over South Africa in the first cricket Test.

Resuming Monday at 311 for four, South Africa was dismissed for 434 in the middle session of the final day.

After winning the toss and electing to bat, South Africa was bowled out for 169 in its first innings at Sinhalese Sports Club ground.

Sri Lanka piled on 756 for five -- including a world record 624-run partnership between skipper Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara -- before declaring to take a massive 587-run first-innings lead.

The South Africans batted gamely late on Sunday to stay in the match with openers Jacques Rudolph (90) and Andrew Hall (64) sharing a 165-run opening stand before a late comeback by the Sri Lankan bowlers.

Muralitharan struck again in the second over Monday to spark the final demise.

He had Ashwell Prince caught at slip by Jayawardene for 61, ending a threatening 78-run partnership with Mark Boucher for the fifth wicket.

Prince made his score off 182 balls hitting four fours.

Herschelle Gibbs, suffering a stomach complaint that kept him off the field during Sri Lanka's innings, came to bat at No 7. He made only 18 before hitting a loose full-toss from Muralitharan for a sharp return catch.

South Africa was 392 for six at lunch, still needed 195 runs to avoid an innings defeat and with Boucher and Nicky Boje trying to halt the slide.

The seventh-wicket pair compiled 51 runs before Boucher was caught and bowled by left-arm spinner Sanath Jayasuriya for 85 shortly after lunch.

Boucher faced 160 balls and hit 10 boundaries and had a reprieve at 67, when wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene dropped a leg side catch off Muralitharan.

Muralitharan took 4-41 in the first innings and 6-131 in the second for his 17th 10-wicket haul in a Test match. Paceman Dilhara Fernanado had figures of two for 69 to add to his first innings tally of 4-48.

Sri Lanka's third-wicket pair did most of the damage with the bat, combining with the total at 14-2.

Jayawardene came close to West Indies batsman Brian Lara's world record of 400 runs but dismissed for 374. Sangakkara scored 287.