For the first time since Muttiah Muralitharan's retirement, Sri Lanka finally won a Test. They did it convincingly, by over 200 runs, and in a country where they'd never won in the long format before. There's life after the great man Murali. Thursday's 208-run win was not just a breakthrough in South Africa, it was a turning point for Sri Lankan cricket after 18 months of misery. For 15 matches Sri Lanka foundered in Tests. This year, poor form on the pitch was exaggerated by problems off it as players went nine months without salaries when the national board hit financial difficulties. No wonder captain Tillakaratne Dilshan greeted the series-leveling win at Kingsmead as a pivotal moment. There were wild scenes of celebration on the pitch when Rangana Herath bowled Marchant de Lange in fading light with only nine balls remaining in the day. The team reserves and management ran on to the field to join their triumphant teammates. Asked whether it compared with a famous win over England at the Oval in 1998, Dilshan said: “Definitely. It is one of the great wins of Sri Lankan cricket.”
