Left-arm spinner Rangana Herath claimed a match haul of 12 wickets as Sri Lanka condemned No.1-ranked England to their fourth consecutive Test defeat on Thursday in the series opener.
The 34-year-old Herath (6-97) grabbed six wickets in each innings as the tourists, attempting what would have been their highest successful fourth-innings chase of 340, were bowled out for 264 soon after tea on the fourth day.
Off-spinner Suraj Randiv (4-74) lent admirable support with six wickets in the match as Sri Lanka went 1-0 ahead in the two-match series with an impressive 75-run win.
England captain Andrew Strauss was furious at another Test defeat – despite a dogged century by Jonathan Trott – after his team were whitewashed 3-0 by Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates earlier this year.
“We’re bitterly disappointed,” he said. “In truth we made too many mistakes. If you make them, you’ve got be lucky to get away with them and this game we were not. We all fell a bit too softly.”
Strauss, however, said there was still a lot to play for when the second and final Test starts at the P. Sara Oval in Colombo on April 3.
Trott kept the tourists afloat with a defiant 112 before the last five wickets fell for just 12 runs in front of 8,000 English fans in the southern coastal town.
It was only the second win in 18 Tests for Sri Lanka since the retirement of world bowling record holder Muttiah Muralitharan in 2010. They lost six while the rest were drawn.
England’s highest successful fourth-innings chase had come way back in 1928 when they made 7-332 to defeat Australia in Melbourne.
Trott’s seventh Test century included 10 boundaries in a patient 266-ball knock.
But the match turned decisively Sri Lanka’s way when he was seventh out just before tea, flicking a Randiv delivery to backward short-leg where Tillakaratne Dilshan snapped up a diving catch.
Wicketkeeper Matt Prior had earlier helped Trott add 81 for the fifth wicket before he was dismissed by Herath for 41 as Lahiru Thirimanne clung on to a full-blooded sweep at forward short-leg.
Tailenders Graeme Swann, Jimmy Anderson and Monty Panesar fell in the space of five runs to hand Sri Lanka victory with a day to spare.
“Any Test win is important, but to do it against the best side in the world is a moment to cherish,” said Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene.
“It’s been a tough period for us to get things right but the boys worked really hard to improve as a team and today we showed a lot of character.
“The bowlers were much more relaxed defending 340. We all had to be patient and knew the wickets would come. Herath has been around a long time and is a class act.”
England, who will slip to No.2 in the rankings behind South Africa if they lose the series, lost Kevin Pietersen in the day’s third over after just seven runs had been added to the overnight score of 2-111.
Pietersen, on 30, attempted to on-drive Randiv and only managed to spoon an easy catch to Mahela Jayawardene at short mid-wicket.
Ian Bell, who top-scored with 52 in the first innings, missed a sweep shot off Herath and was given out leg-before by umpire Rod Tucker.
Bell immediately asked for a review, but he did not earn a reprieve from TV umpire Bruce Oxenford and England slipped to 4-152.
