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POST TIME: 10 November, 2018 00:00 00 AM
England cruise to victory over Sri Lanka
Veteran Herath sings swansong
AFP, Galle

England cruise to victory over Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath (centre R) is carried off the field by teammates after England won the opening Test match at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle yesterday. AFP PHOTO

England claimed their first away Test victory in 13 matches on Friday with a commanding 211-run win against Sri Lanka in Galle, with Moeen Ali claiming his second four-wicket haul of the game.

Last out was silver fox Rangana Herath, cricket's most successful left-arm spinner in his swansong before retirement, run out for five.

The hosts, chasing a notional 462 victory in the first match of a three-Test series, could only muster 250 on day four, with Jack Leach taking three wickets to go with Ali's four, with Adil Rashid and Ben Stokes getting one each.

England had secured a first-innings lead of 139 thanks to a century on debut by Ben Foakes -- man of the match -- and a formidable spin attack led by Ali and assisted ably by Leach and Rashid restricting Sri Lanka to 203.

In England's second innings an assured unbeaten 146 by Keaton Jennings, his first century since a ton on his 2016 debut that has silenced his critics for now at least, allowed Root to declare at 322 for six.

Fifteen without loss overnight, Sri Lanka's openers Kaushal Silva and Dimuth Karunaratne withstood the pressure from England's formidable bowling attack for the first hour of day four on Friday.

But both fell after attacking shots, with Kaushal leg before trying to sweep Leach for 30 and Karunaratne caught and bowled by Ali for 26 as he skipped down the pitch for an attempted heave.

Dhananjaya de Silva, after a confident start, was caught at first slip by skipper Joe Root off Stokes in the last over of the morning session for 21.

One ball earlier, de Silva had been given out caught behind flashing at a Stokes delivery wide of the off stump, but he was reprieved on review.

After lunch Kusal Mendis hit Leach for four over his head but attempting a repeat the next ball skied the ball to Ali and departed for 46.

He had earlier appeared confident at the crease, employing the sweep shot especially well against all England's spinners, while secure in defence.

Chandimal, suffering from a groin injury that kept him off the pitch all of Thursday, was bowled by Leach for 11.