Pallekele: Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath backed up centurion Kusal Mendis&rsquo; superlative effort to stun top-ranked Australia by 106 runs in the rain-affected first Test here on Saturday.
<img title="Wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal (left), Dilruwan Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva and skipper Angelo Mathews (right) are ecstatic after Sri Lanka&rsquo;s win as Australia&rsquo;s Steve O' Keefe leaves the field in Pallekele on Saturday. PIC:AP/PTI" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/31-Dinesh-Chandimal.jpg" alt="Wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal (left), Dilruwan Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva and skipper Angelo Mathews (right) are ecstatic after Sri Lanka&rsquo;s win as Australia&rsquo;s Steve O' Keefe leaves the field in Pallekele on Saturday. PIC:AP/PTI" />Wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal (left), Dilruwan Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva and skipper Angelo Mathews (right) are ecstatic after Sri Lanka&rsquo;s win as Australia&rsquo;s Steve O' Keefe leaves the field in Pallekele on Saturday. PIC:AP/PTI
Herath, 38, grabbed 5-54 to help the hosts bundle out Australia for 161 on the fifth and final day after they were set a challenging 268 in the second innings.
Frustrating 178-ball stand between O&rsquo;Keefe &amp; Nevill Australian skipper Steven Smith posted a gritty half-century before Steve O&rsquo;Keefe and Peter Nevill frustrated Sri Lanka with a 178-ball partnership. The pair added only four runs for the ninth wicket. Herath bagged the last Australian wicket to fall by cleaning up O&rsquo;Keefe to trigger wild celebration in the Lankan camp. This was Sri Lanka&rsquo;s only second Test win against Australia in 27 matches.
<img title="Rangana Herath celebrates Sri Lanka&rsquo;s win after dismissing Australia&rsquo;s Steve O&rsquo;Keeffe at Pallekele on Saturday. PIC/AFP" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2016/jul/31-Rangana-Herath.jpg" alt="Rangana Herath celebrates Sri Lanka&rsquo;s win after dismissing Australia&rsquo;s Steve O&rsquo;Keeffe at Pallekele on Saturday. PIC/AFP" /> Rangana Herath celebrates Sri Lanka&rsquo;s win after dismissing Australia&rsquo;s Steve O&rsquo;Keeffe at Pallekele on Saturday. PIC/AFP
It was batsman Mendis (176) who set up the unlikely win for Sri Lanka with his superb maiden ton in his team&rsquo;s second innings after the hosts overcame an 86-run deficit. For Lankan spinners it was a race against time as rain threatened to thwart their chances of upsetting firm favourites Australia but Herath had other ideas in mind.
The left-arm spinner, who grabbed four wickets in the first innings, made life miserable for the Australian batsmen on a turning track on the fifth morning. Smith, whose 55 was the next best after Mendis&rsquo; century, was trapped lbw by Herath as Australia slipped to 141 for seven at lunch.
Debutant chinaman bowler Lakshan Sandakan (3-49), who bagged seven wickets in the match, provided the perfect foil to Herath&rsquo;s experience.
2 This is Sri Lanka's second win against Australia in Tests
Brief scores Sri Lanka 117 &amp; 353 beat Australia 203 &amp; 161 (S Smith 55, J Burns 29; R Herath 5-54 L Sandakan 3-49) by 106 runs

Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath backed up centurion Kusal Mendis' superlative effort to stun top-ranked Australia by 106 runs in the rain-affected first Test on Saturday.

Sri Lankan beat Australia by 106 runs

BCCI's WC meeting on August 2 in Mumbai

Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath backed up centurion Kusal Mendis' superlative effort to stun top-ranked Australia by 106 runs in the rain-affected first Test on Saturday.

Sri Lankan beat Australia by 106 runs

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Sri Lankan beat Australia by 106 runs

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