COLOMBO, Dec 31: Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan spun Sri Lanka to their biggest Test victory Monday as the home side defeated Zimbabawe by an innings and 166 runs on the fourth day of the first Test.

Muralitharan captured four for 35 in Sri Lanka’s second innings 236 to finish the year with the world’s leading haul for 2001 of 80 wickets. His team extended their run of consecutive victories to six.

It was Sri Lanka’s biggest victory in 116 Tests, having beaten Bangladesh by an innings and 137 runs in the Asian Test Championship here in September.

Zimbabwe, trailing by 402 runs, were shot out for 236 in the second innings on the fourth day to suffer their heaviest defeat against the hosts in 11 Tests, the previous margin being by an innings and 77 runs here in 1996-97.

It was the hosts’ sixth victory in a row since August, having already beaten India and Bangladesh once and then the West Indies 3-0 in their last five matches.

Despite finishing the match with eight for 88, Muralitharan was beaten for the Man-of-the-Match award by Kumar Sangakkara, who top-scored with 128 in Sri Lanka’s first innings 586 for six declared.

Muralitharan is now two short of becoming the seventh-highest wicket-taker in the world, having captured 382 in 70 matches.

West Indian Courtney Walsh heads the list with 519 wickets, followed by Indian Kapil Dev (434), New Zealander Sir Richard Hadlee (431), Australian Shane Warne (424), Pakistan’s Wasim Akram (414), West Indian Curtly Ambrose (405) and Englishman Ian Botham (383).

Sri Lanka just managed to beat a heavy deluge 20 minutes after the end of the match which inundated the ground with pools of water. Rain also washed out nearly an hour’s play shortly before tea.

None of the Zimbabwe batsmen managed to reach the half-century mark with the top score being 44 by nightwatchman Travis Friend. Former captain and pace bowler Heath Streak was the team’s second highest scorer on a bland batting pitch with 36 not out.

Muralitharan took two for 19 from 12 overs as Zimbabwe slipped further towards defeat at tea, ending Friend’s 176-minute vigil when he bowled him with the Zimbabwe score on 145.

Then, coming back for his third spell from the opposite end, Muralitharan had Grant Flower caught off his glove by Hashan Tillekeratne at forward short leg for 18, reducing Zimbabwe to 165 for seven.

Earlier Zimbabwe lost three important wickets, including that of Andy Flower, when they resumed at 64 for two after Sunday’s rest day.

They lost their captain Stuart Carlisle (32) in the first over after the first drinks break of the day, when he attemped an ambitious cut off medium-pacer Charitha Buddika and edged an easy catch behind the wicket to Sangakkara.

Buddika also dismissed Gavin Rennie for four when he forced him to edge a catch to Mahela Jayawardena at second slip with 12 runs added to the total. Buddika’s fine morning spell was rewarded with two for 17 off six overs.

Lanky left-arm fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa picked up the prize wicket of Andy Flower for 10 shortly before lunch when he trapped him in front of the wicket with a straight ball.

The second of three Tests starts in Kandy Friday.