CAPE TOWN, South Africa, Jan 6, (AP): Jacques Kallis celebrated his 150th test match with one of the most complete allround performances of his long career as he inspired South Africa to a 10-wicket victory over Sri Lanka on Friday and a first home series win in three years.
Kallis had marked his milestone match at his home ground at Newlands with a career-best 224 in South Africa’s rampant first-innings batting effort in the third test.
He then picked up 3-35 with the ball in Sri Lanka’s second innings on the fourth day — and equaled a South African record six catches in the match — to be the driving force behind the Proteas’ dominant win.
South Africa overcame a heavy 208-run loss in the second test, its first-ever test defeat on home soil to the Sri Lankans, to seal a first home series success since it beat Bangladesh in late 2008.
It ended a frustrating run of four home series without a win for South Africa, where it failed to close out strong positions in the last three.
In Cape Town, South Africa finally found the killer instinct to bowl Sri Lanka out for 239 and then 342 just before tea on Friday after it had followed on in response to South Africa’s daunting and Kallis-inspired 580-4 declared.
“I couldn’t have asked for it to have worked out better. You dream of performances like that in milestone games,” Kallis said.
Needing just two runs to clinch the match and a 2-1 series victory with over a day to spare, opener Alviro Petersen drove the first ball of South Africa’s second innings, a no-ball from Dhammika Prasad, back through mid-on and to the boundary.
At the non-striker’s end, captain Graeme Smith needn’t have padded up.
“Excellent bounce back from the guys,” Smith said. “We were very poor in Durban and admittedly so. There was a bit of emotion for Jakes (Kallis) and the guys came out and played for him.
“We haven’t lost too many (series) but we just haven’t had that killer punch. This one in particular, there’s a lot to build on.”
A fighting 115 not out from Thilan Samaraweera had earlier delayed South Africa’s march to victory in a gritty 142-run partnership with Angelo Mathews (63). Their disciplined stand under great pressure from South Africa’s relentless attack was chiefly responsible for the host having to bat again.
However, Samaraweera’s impressive second century of the series, where he hit 14 fours to prop up Sri Lanka’s failing batting lineup, couldn’t prevent South Africa’s long-awaited victory.
Having not been in Sri Lanka’s initial squad for the tour, Samaraweera’s first century in South Africa had set up their historic win in Durban. But, despite the 35-year-old batsman’s fight at Newlands, Sri Lanka slid away to its fourth series defeat in four trips to South Africa and its fourth straight series loss.
“It’s now time to address things,” captain Tillakaratne Dilshan said. “We can’t wait any longer. We have talked about a lot of things but we still haven’t delivered. That’s the main issue.
“As a team we have to take the blame. We didn’t play well here, we didn’t start well here.”
After conceding its highest score against South Africa, Sri Lanka began Friday 138-4 in its second innings and still 203 runs from making the host bat again.
But Samaraweera and Mathews, who came together with Sri Lanka 98-4 and almost certain to slump to an innings defeat, lifted the tourists to 240-5 when Mathews fell to Vernon Philander.
They added just 102 more for the last five wickets, though, as Philander finished with 3-54 in the innings and Imran Tahir 3-106.
South Africa’s impressive bowling newcomer Philander returned from injury to take six wickets in the match and take his tally to 30 in his first four tests.
Dale Steyn returned 3-56 in the first innings and legspinner Tahir had five wickets in the match and Morne Morkel three as South Africa’s bowlers operated as a unit to close out the match.
A.B. de Villiers made 160 not out in South Africa’s first innings and Petersen also had a century in the Proteas’ commanding start, but 36-year-old Kallis produced one of his best outings in his 17th year of international cricket to ridicule recent suggestions in South Africa’s media that the allrounder may be past his best.
He pouched tough chances at slip and a diving catch off his own bowling, and produced pace and bounce off a lifeless wicket to trouble batsmen. Having been hit over his head for six he roared in and ripped out Chanaka Welegedara’s leg stump to end Sri Lanka’s innings just before tea and effectively end the match.
Batting, he punished Sri Lanka’s bowling for the best part of two days at the start of the game for his highest test score, hitting 31 fours and a six having become just the sixth player to play 150 tests.
“As long as I don’t read too many newspapers I think I can keep going for a few more years,” Kallis said. “As long as I keep on enjoying it I’ll keep going.”

Scoreboard

CAPE TOWN, Jan 6, (AFP): Final scores on the fourth day of the third and final Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka at Newlands on Friday:
SOUTH AFRICA, first innings, 580-4 dec
SRI LANKA, first innings, 239
SRI LANKA, second innings (overnight 138-4)
L. Thirimanne c Amla b Kallis 30
T. Dilshan c Boucher b Philander 5
K. Sangakkara c Kallis b Imran Tahir 34
M. Jayawardene c Kallis b Morkel 12
T. Samaraweera not out 115
A. Mathews lbw b Philander 63
D. Chandimal c Kallis b Philander 1
T. Perera c Morkel b Imran Tahir 30
R. Herath c and b Kallis 0
D. Prasad st Boucher b Imran Tahir 16
C. Welegedera b Kallis 14
Extras (b1, lb15, w6) 22
Total (107.5 overs) 342
Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Dilshan), 2-79 (Thirimanne), 3-83 (Sangakkara), 4-98 (Jayawardene), 5-240 (Mathews), 6-248 (Chandimal),
7-304 (Perera), 8-306 (Herath), 9-331 (Prasad)
Bowling: Steyn 20-3-56-0 (1w ), Philander 20-4-54-3 , Morkel 19-4-68-1, Imran Tahir 32-7-106-3, Kallis 14.5-2-35-3 (1w), Smith 2-0-7-0
SOUTH AFRICA, second innings
A. Petersen not out 1
G. Smith not out 0
Extras (nb1) 1
Total (0 wkts, 0.0 overs) 2
Bowling: Prasad 0.0-0-2-0 (1nb)
Result: South Africa won by 10 wickets
Series: South Africa won 2-1
Toss: Sri Lanka
Umpires: Richard Kettleborough (ENG), Rod Tucker (AUS)
TV umpire: Steve Davis (AUS)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)