Sri Lankan pacemen Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga took their team close to a maiden Test series win over South Africa at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground yesterday.
The duo took the important scalps of captain Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and Jacques Rudolph, extracting both bounce and movement to continue their fine show from Saturday when South Africa were reduced to 21-2.
Left-armer Vaas and Malinga, who bowls with a sling-like action, have now accounted for all five wickets after having picked up one apiece on the rain-marred fourth day in which just eight overs were possible.
Sri Lanka beat South Africa by 313 runs in the second and final Test.
Mark Boucher scored his 17th test 50 after South Africa lost three early wickets to reach lunch on 129-5 yesterday.
South Africa, on 21-2 overnight and chasing an impossible 493-run victory target, made a dreadful start slumping to 36-5 in the first 30 minutes of play.
But Boeta Dippenaar, the last frontline batsman, and Boucher steadied the innings with an unbroken 93-run stand for the sixth wicket.
Dippenaar was unbeaten on 34 at the break with Boucher on 50.
South Africa's leading batsman Jacques Kallis (three) lasted just three balls of the morning session before being surprised by a Chaminda Vaas delivery that lifted sharply from a good length and was caught at slip.
Lasith Malinga struck next as captain Graeme Smith, who had battled for 65 minutes for his 17, gloved an attempted pull on to his thigh and was caught at backward short leg.
Five balls later Jacques Rudolph, who scored 102 in the first test, went tamely for the second time in the match with a top-edged pull that was caught by Malinga at long leg off Vaas.
Vaas had figures of three wickets for 15 from eight overs.
England vs West Indies
Graham Thorpe neared a 15th Test century and Andrew Strauss hit 90 as England recovered to 233 for five at stumps on day three of the third Test against West Indies at Old Trafford on Saturday.
In reply to the tourists' 395 for nine declared, England stumbled to 40 for three prior to tea before Strauss and Thorpe (89 not out) put on 177.
Strauss eventually departed, playing Dwayne Bravo on to his stumps, and the 20-year-old Trinidadian struck again late on when Andrew Flintoff (7) was adjudged lbw.
Nightwatchman Matthew Hoggard survived six tricky overs before the close while Thorpe earlier had a lifeline on 58 when Ramnaresh Sarwan dropped a simple looping catch at backward point off slow left armer Dave Mohammed.
West Indies had threatened to take full control for the first time in the series when Marcus Trescothick (0) edged Fidel Edwards to Sarwan in the slips second ball and Robert Key (6) was bowled by Corey Collymore.
The impressive Bravo, playing in his third Test, then yorked Michael Vaughan for 12 and finished the day with three for 36.
West Indies resumed day three on 275 for six after Friday's play was washed out.
Wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh played some imaginative shots to amass 68, the highest score in his four tests.
Baugh replaced the injured Ridley Jacobs but even if Jacobs had been fit the 22-year-old was pushing for inclusion after an unbeaten 150 in a tour match against Derbyshire last week.
He fell to the last ball before lunch, trying to flick James Anderson to the on side only to find a leading edge to Vaughan around mid-off.
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