Herath, Perera lead Lanka to crushing win

HARARE: Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera took three wickets apiece to break Zimbabwe’s resistance and secure a 225-run victory for Sri Lanka in the first Test at Harare Sports Club on Wednesday. After declaring on their overnight total of 247 for six to set Zimbabwe 412 for victory on the final day, Sri Lanka were under threat of being held to a draw as Cremer once again proved to be the thorn with his stubborn 43. But Herath finished with figures of 3 for 38, which included the key wickets of Cremer and Sean Williams, and Perera took 3 for 34 as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 186 with just 7.3 overs left in the game. A rollercoaster of a final day began with Zimbabwe making a strong start to their innings, as openers Tino Mawoyo and Brian Chari saw off the new ball. Even after Chari was bowled in Lahiru Kumara’s first over to depart for 10, Mawoyo found solid support from Hamilton Masakadza as the pair batted for almost an hour. (AFP)