By Ken Borland
DURBAN, South Africa Dec 29 (Reuters) – A delighted
Rangana Herath praised the efforts of his team mates after
bowling Sri Lanka to their first test win in South Africa at
Kingsmead on Thursday.
The left-arm spinner took five for 79 as South Africa
capitulated in their second innings to lose the second test by
208 runs after winning the first at Centurion by an innings.
“It was a whole team effort, that’s why we won. We’re very
happy because we bowled them out for less than 170 and we played
our brand of cricket. We didn’t do anything different,” Herath
told a news conference.
Herath, who took nine wickets in the match, said his success
had been a result of “sticking to the basics”.
Sri Lanka captain Tillekaratne Dilshan said it had been one
of his career highlights to come to Durban and level the series
after losing so emphatically at Centurion.
“It’s one of the greatest days for my career to beat South
Africa in South Africa. It showed that if we can play our brand
of cricket, we can beat one of the best teams,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic feeling and great for Sri Lankan fans. As
the captain, I am very proud, especially after losing the first
test so badly. We will definitely celebrate, we can enjoy
ourselves…it might be all night.”
South Africa captain Graeme Smith said the Sri Lankans had
adapted better to the pitch and executed their skills more
accurately than the hosts.
Continued…
