Sri Lanka sweep Pakistan series 2-0

Colombo: Rangana Herath claimed 14 wickets for the match to help ensure former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene retires from test cricket with a 2-0 series sweep of Pakistan in the first session of final day Monday.

Sri Lanka won the second test by 105 runs after Pakistan was out for 165 in its second innings chasing 271 to win at the Sinhalese Sports Club.

Herath, who took five wickets in the second session to add to his nine wickets in the first, finished with 14-184 to surpass his previous best match figures of 12-157 against Bangladesh last year.

Herath took 23 wickets in the series with a match-winning 6-wicket haul in the second innings of the first test.

Jayawardene ended his 149-match, 17-year test career with 11,814 runs at nearly 50 runs an innings. His contribution in his final match was 58 runs including 54 in the second innings and three catches at his customary slips position. His half-century was his 50th 50-plus score, joining his 34 test centuries.

Aftre Kaushal Silva caught Wahab Riaz for the last wicket as Jayawardene was carried off the Sinhalese Sports Ground on his teammates' shoulders.

Pakistan opened the final day at 127-7 facing an inevitable defeat with only the possibility of rain giving them some hope of saving the test.

Sarfraz Ahmed, who made 103 in the first innings, made 55 in the second before being the first dismissal of the day, caught by Kumar Sangakkara in the deep off seam bowler Chanaka Welegedara. Ahmed faced 89 deliveries and hit two boundaries.

Silva competed with Sangakkara for a catch and won to dismiss Riaz to seal the victory for Sri Lanka. Last man Junaid Khan was absent after being hit on the head by a Dhammika Prasad bouncer while batting in the first innings.

Earlier Sunday, Pakistan's bowlers took eight Sri Lanka wickets for 105 in a remarkable fightback, but its batsmen crumbled in their second innings on a turning pitch.

Seamer Dhammika Prasad took two quick wickets, dismissing opener Khurram Manzoor (10) caught behind with the total on 17 and four runs later trapped Ahmed Shehzad lbw for eight.

Herath then snared Azhar Ali (10) caught at slip by Jayawardene, Younis Khan lbw for eight and captain Misbah-ul-Haq, also caught by Jayawardene.

A 55-run stand for the sixth wicket between Ahmed and Asad Shafiq developed before Shafiq (32) had a sudden loss of concentration, charged down the pitch against Herath and was stumped by wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella.