| Player: | KC Sangakkara, HMRKB Herath |
| Event: | New Zealand in Sri Lanka 2009 |
DateLine: 31st August 2009
Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara paid rich tribute to Rangana Herath after the left-arm spinner took a five-wicket haul.
Herath's five-wicket haul helped Sri Lanka secure a 96-run win over New Zealand in the second and final Test in Colombo.
The Black Caps, who were chasing an improbable 494 to win, began the final day needing another 312 runs with only four wickets in hand to salvage a 1-1 draw from the series.
Skipper Daniel Vettori batted brilliantly and scored 140. He forged solid partnerships with overnight partner Jacob Oram (56) and Iain O'Brien (12) to frustrate Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka's bowlers chipped away with part-time spinner Tillakaratne Dilshan sending back Oram just before lunch, while Herath picked up the wicket of O'Brien to complete only the third five-wicket haul of his career.
"Herath has been fantastic and the effort he put in bowling almost 50 overs was just incredible," Sangakkara said following his side's 2-0 series win.
"To come in as support for Muralitharan and then for him to become our number one spinner in this Test match with his performance, I think it bodes very well for our future.
"It goes to show that even if Muralitharan is not available for some games for us, we've got the bench strength in our spin department to win matches."