Nottingham: Muttiah Muralitharan claimed eight wickets in England's second innings on Monday, and Sri Lanka won by 134 runs to level the series 1-1 on day four of the third and final Test at Trent Bridge.
Chasing 325 to win, England was bowled out for 190 in its second innings.
Off-spinner Muralitharan tore through England's top order, taking 6-13 in 69 balls during an outstanding second session for Sri Lanka after the home side had gone to lunch at 49 without loss.
The world's second-highest wicket-taker didn't stop after tea either, and closed the innings with 8-70 off 30 overs after taking 8-26 in 105 balls, his 53rd five-wicket haul in Tests.
"It was a brilliant effort from the whole team, especially Murali," Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene said. "It's wonderful to watch him. I've been watching him for the last eight years, he's a genius working."
"He knows exactly the areas and the best thing is the consistency ... he's always in those areas where he always asks questions of the batsmen."
Muralitharan also took 3-63 in England's first innings, making it the 16th time he's taken 10 wickets or more in a Test.
He now has 635 wickets from 106 Tests. Australia's Shane Warne has 685 from 140.
Monty Panesar claimed his first Test five-wicket haul to help bowl Sri Lanka out for 322 in its second innings. England made 229 in reply to the tourists' first-inngings 231.
After a strong fightback to draw the first Test at Lord's, the young and largely inexperienced Sri Lanka team was disappointing in its six-wicket loss in the second Test at Edgbaston.
"To come back and draw the series, it's great," Jayawardene said. "I'm pretty happy for the guys, but I said we shouldn't go overboard with it. We should improve on this and see where the areas are that we have to brush up on and make sure the consistency is there."
England captain Andrew Flintoff - who removed himself from the bowling attack on Sunday because of an ankle injury - described it as "a series of missed opportunities," referring to a spate of dropped catches at Lord's and a failure to make runs in the third Test.
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"It was a series that we wanted to win, or we expected to win. We got into some great positions and, over the three Tests, we played some good cricket," Flintoff said. "In this Test match, Murali was special, but, having said that, we probably lost it maybe in the first innings not scoring enough runs."
England openers Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Strauss put on an 84-run partnership on Monday before Trescothick (31) was bowled by Muralitharan.
Alastair Cook was let off on one with his team 95-1 when he edged a delivery from Sanath Jayasuriya to wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara, who made a rare blunder and dropped the catch.
Cook managed just four more runs, however, before he was trapped LBW by Muralitharan.
Strauss looked in fine touch as he reached a half-century, although his innings ended on 55.
The batsman, coming forward to a Muralitharan delivery that pitched outside off stump, got a faint edge on the ball, which came off Sangakkara's gloves and into the hands of slips fielder Jayawardene.
Kevin Pietersen and Flintoff fell cheaply, both caught by Tillakaratne Dilshan off Muralitharan's bowling.
Dilshan and Muralitharan combined again for the bizarre dismissal of Paul Collingwood (9). The batsman hit a delivery from Muralithran onto his boot and the ball lobbed up to Dilshan at forward short-leg.
Muralist looked set to become only the third bowler in history to take all 10 wickets for an innings - after former England spinner Jim Laker and India leg-spinner Anil Kumble - when he bowled Geraint Jones for six.
But Matthew Haggards's run out for four by Camera Kapugudera ended that possibility.
Jon Lewis was out LBW to Muralitharan for 7, and Panesar fell in the same fashion to Jayasuriya for 26, leaving Liam Plunkett on 22.
The home team had succeeded in its bid to take early wickets in the morning, with left-arm spinner Panesar adding two more scalps to his overnight tally to finish with 5-78.
Sri Lanka resumed on 286-7 with Kapugudera on 50 and Chaminda Vaas not out 24.
Kapugudera failed to score another run before he hit a delivery from paceman Plunkett - the fourth ball of the day - to Cook at short-leg. The ball hit the fielder's knee before he grabbed the catch.
Panesar struck with his third ball, bowling Lasith Malinga for 22.
At the start of his next over, Panesar dismissed Muralitharan, who sent a lofted drive down the ground to be caught by Strauss for two. Vass was not out on 34.
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