Ken Borland

An immense all-round performance by Jacques Kallis carried South Africa to a series-clinching 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka on the fourth day of the third and final test at Newlands on Friday.

    Kallis, having scored 224 in the South African first innings, claimed three for 35 to end an obdurate Sri Lankan second innings on 342, leaving the hosts with a nominal target of two runs to win.

    Kallis, playing his 150th test, also took four catches to equal the South African record for the most catches by an outfielder in an innings as well as the mark of six catches in a test set by Albert Vogler in 1909/10 and matched by Bruce Mitchell in 1931/32.

    South Africa’s win brings to an end a run of four winless series at home dating back to 2008/9.

    They were held up on the fourth day by the determined Thilan Samaraweera, who scored a defiant 115 not out in 325 minutes, off 215 balls, showing fine technique and concentration.

    Angelo Mathews scored 63 and the tail-enders had some fun as well as they helped the experienced Samaraweera prolong South Africa’s time in the field to nine minutes after the scheduled tea break.

    Kallis, who had removed stubborn opener Lahiru Thirimanne for 30 on the third day, moved sharply to take a return catch from Rangana Herath (0), his record-equalling fourth catch of the innings and sixth of the test, and then bowled last man Chanaka Welegedara for 14.

    Sri Lanka appeared to be on track to take the game into a fifth day as Samaraweera and Mathews took Sri Lanka’s overnight score of 138 for four, still trailing by 203 runs, to 240 for four with their record fifth-wicket stand of 142 in 200 minutes. Sri Lanka’s previous best fifth-wicket partnership against South Africa was 121 between Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga in Moratuwa in 1993/94.

    But Mathews, who had shown plenty of strokeplaying ability, was trapped in front of the stumps by a Vernon Philander delivery that kept low in the fourth over after lunch and Dinesh Chandimal could score just a single before he edged the same bowler into the slips, where Kallis took a sharp catch.

    Sri Lanka were 248 for six with Samaraweera on 86, but the tail stayed in long enough for the 35-year-old to reach his 14th century in his 71st test and his second of the series.

    Thisara Perera (30) and Dhammika Prasad (16) both prospered briefly with some fairly reckless hitting to save Sri Lanka from an innings defeat, but not their ultimate fate.

    While the inspirational Kallis boasted the most impressive bowling figures, he was well-supported by Philander, who took three for 54 in 20 overs and has now taken 30 wickets in his first four tests.

    Leg-spinner Imran Tahir took three for 106 in 32 overs.

    South Africa’s innings is likely to feature prominently in future sporting trivia quizzes as Dhammika Prasad’s first delivery was a no-ball, which Alviro Petersen drove down the ground for the winning runs. It meant the innings officially lasted 0.0 overs.

South Africa’s batsmen suffered another bitter Kingsmead failure as left-armers Chanaka Welegedara and Rangana Herath ran through them on the second day of the second test against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

    Welegedara claimed career-best figures of five for 52 in 16.4 overs, while spinner Herath took four for 49 as South Africa were bowled out for just 168, giving Sri Lanka a first-innings lead of 170.

    Sri Lanka lost the wicket of captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, caught in the slips off Dale Steyn for four, and reached seven for one in their second innings before the umpires stopped play due to bad light.

    South Africa, who have lost their last three tests at Kingsmead, collapsed dramatically after tea, losing their last seven wickets for 65 runs.

    Several of them were dismissed playing loose strokes, with AB de Villiers (25) steering the fifth ball after tea, from Welegedara, straight to second slip, to give South Africa the worse possible start to the final session.

    Hashim Amla (54) edged a flatfooted prod outside off stump at Welegedara to wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal, while Ashwell Prince (11) was caught trying to reverse-sweep Herath.

    Herath also picked up the wickets of Mark Boucher for three and Morne Morkel for a duck as South Africa crashed to 119 for eight. They only managed to avoid the follow-on because the tailenders managed to hang about.

    Imran Tahir scored 11 before one of his few attempts to defend the ball resulted in him being stumped off Herath, while last man Marchant de Lange was caught behind for nine off Welegedara.

    Steyn decided that attack was the best form of resistance as he struck two fours and two sixes in his 29 not out.

    But South Africa’s ignominous collapse followed totals of 138 against Australia and 133 versus England in Durban in 2009; and 131 all out against India a year ago.

    Sri Lanka were forced to come out and bat for 2.1 overs in gloomy light, with the floodlights on, and Dilshan clubbed a four over cover-point before edging Steyn’s next delivery to second slip.

    Tharanga Paranivatana, who is yet to score, and Kumar Sangakkara, on three, will be there to build on Sri Lanka’s considerable lead on the third morning.

    Amla’s counter-attacking half-century had steered South Africa to 100 for three at tea, after the home team had slumped to 27 for three.

Welegedara started the rot with two wickets in four balls, removing Graeme Smith for 15 and Jacques Kallis for a duck.

Jacques Rudolph fell for seven when he pulled a short, leg-side delivery from Thisara Perera to fine-le,g where Welegedara lunged forward to take a good catch.

Earlier, fast bowler De Lange grabbed seven wickets on his debut, while Thilan Samaraweera compiled his 13th test century as Sri Lanka chalked up 338, their biggest total in South Africa.

De Lange took seven for 81 as Sri Lanka were bowled out 35 minutes before lunch. The 21-year-old’s figures are the best by a South African against this opposition – surpassing Shaun Pollock’s six for 30 in Cape Town in 2000-01.

Samaraweera, 35, scored 102 to steer Sri Lanka past their previous best total of 323 at Centurion in 2002-03.

De Lange’s burst of three wickets in eight balls cut short Sri Lanka’s resistance after they had resumed on 289 for seven.

Samaraweera, who resumed on 86, continued to bat in a controlled fashion as he and Herath put on 46 for the eighth wicket.

De Lange then cleaned up the tail by removing Herath (30) and Welegedara (2) with nasty, lifting deliveries.

Samaraweera was last man out, caught by deep cover Prince off the young paceman.

South Africa lead the three-match series 1-0.