South Africa End Long Wait For Home Series Win

South Africa End Long Wait For Home Series Win

South Africa picked up eight wickets on the final day of the Test series against Sri Lanka

©REUTERS / Action Images

South Africa 580-4 dec (Kallis 224) & 2-0 beat
Sri Lanka 239 & 342 by 10 wickets
Third Test, Cape Town
Scorecard | Day One | Day Two | Day Three

Thilan Samaraweera stroked a defiant unbeaten century but his efforts were in vain as South Africa wrapped up a ten-wicket win over Sri Lanka on day four of the third and final Test in Cape Town to seal a 2-1 series victory.

South Africa ended their wait for a first home series win since 2008 by dismissing Sri Lanka for 342 despite Samaraweera's 115 - leaving them one run behind - before Alviro Petersen hit a Dammika Prasad no ball for a single to end proceedings.

Samaraweera and Angelo Mathews (63) batted through the morning session as they rebuffed South Africa's efforts to dislodge them but six wickets before tea ended Sri Lanka's resistance.

Vernon Philander, Imran Tahir and Jacques Kallis - who also took six catches in the match - all picked up three wickets.

Sri Lanka began the day strongly, both Samaraweera and Mathews playing confidently and South Africa unable to break through.

Samaraweera went on to face 215 balls, hitting 14 fours while Mathews struck seven boundaries in a more aggressive 63 in 124 balls as the pair put on 142 for the fifth wicket - a new record for Sri Lanka against South Africa, beating a stand between Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga which was made in 1994.

Aside from the odd shot that flew in the air from Mathews, the pair were largely untroubled until Philander got the breakthrough when a short ball kept low and struck Mathews right in front of the stumps as he tried to pull the ball.

Dinesh Chandimal (1) then pushed firmly at Philander and the edge flew into Kallis' hands at second slip before Samaraweera was involved in his second substantial stand of the day.

It was dominated by Tissera Perera, who took on the bowling to hit four fours in 45 balls on his way to 30 before he was inevitably dismissed, caught by Morne Morkel as he tried to hammer Tahir out of the attack.

Rangana Herath then failed to deal with a Kallis lifter and was caught and bowled without scoring and although Dammika Prasad (16) and Chanaka Welagedara (14) enjoyed hitting a few lusty blows - including a six from Welagedara to force South Africa to bat again - the game was by then long over as a contest.

Welagedara's maximum meant that Petersen and Graeme Smith had to emerge after tea and in the event they won the match without facing a legal delivery after Prasad overstepped and Petersen drilled him down the ground.

Kallis was named as the man of the match and there were really no other contenders after he scored 224 in South Africa's score of 580 for four declared and then took those three wickets during his 150th Test appearance.

© Cricket World 2012