KANDY (Sri Lanka), Jan 7: Sri Lanka completed their seventh successive Test victory Monday when they defeated Zimbabwe by an innings and 94 runs to win the second Test in mid-afternoon of the fourth day.

Zimbabwe, trailing from the first innings by 269 runs, were dismissed in the second innings for 175 with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan adding a further four wickets to his first innings haul of nine to finish the match with 13 for 115 runs.

His magnificent performance earned him the Man-of-the-Match award and gave Sri Lanka a winning 2-0 series lead.

Sri Lanka captain Sanath Jayasuriya warned his team against over-confidence, however, saying the real test of their ability would come when they play overseas.

“We have a few tough series coming up this year against England and South Africa and it is a big responsibility on all of us to perform well outside the country,” Jayasuriya told reporters.

“You never know when we will have a bad day. We have always been reminding the players about it.”

Zimbabwe captain Stuart Carlisle agreed.

“It is not easy to place them because all seven wins have been at home, where they are extremely hard to beat because they prepare pitches to suit Murali,” he said.

“The big test for them will be when they go overseas, in England and Australia where the ball moves around a bit off the seam. I think they could be in a bit of trouble.”

Zimbabwe scored 236 in the first innings to which Sri Lanka replied with 505.

Although Muralitharan, with an injured bowling hand, took four wickets, it was 21-year-old right-arm fast-medium bowler Charitha Buddika who gave Sri Lanka the breakthrough in Monday’s morning session when he took the vital wickets of Andy Flower and top scorer Gavin Rennie (68).

Buddika finished with his best figures in Test cricket — four for 27.

On a pitch which did not assist the quick bowlers, Buddika followed his new ball partner Chaminda Vaas by taking his wickets bowling reverse swing.

Three of his four victims were from the top order, adding the wicket of Grant Flower as well to his collection.

Flower and Rennie were both trapped lbw in front of the wicket while Grant went edging a catch behind the wicket as he tried to get away from the line.

After a bad first spell, in which he conceded 27 runs off five overs, Muralitharan changed ends to pick up three wickets for 17 runs off 13.4 overs.

Both Rennie and Flower batted for almost the first hour before Buddika, taking over from Muralitharan, gained the first breakthrough of the day.

Buddika had Flower lbw for 11 as he attempted to force him to leg and then sent back Rennie with a yorker that hit him on the front boot in line with the off stump.

Rennie made 68 in a stay of three hours facing 168 balls and hitting 11 fours and, with Andy Flower, put on 58 for the fourth wicket in 85 minutes.

He was severe on Muralitharan, taking five fours off him to reach his seventh Test half-century off 84 balls.

Jayasuriya was forced to take his key bowler from the attack after conceding 27 runs in his unsuccessful morning spell of five overs.

Muralitharan, however, returned from the other end to have Craig Wishart (3) caught off a top edge by Jayasuriya at backward square leg as he attempted a sweep from outside off stump and top edged the ball.

Of Muralitharan’s injured hand, Jayasuriya said: “Murali doesn’t have a problem with his injured finger but with his middle finger which he uses for spinning.

“It gets split a little bit. He didn’t have problems bowling in the second innings.”

The Zimbabwe captain was unhappy with his team’s batting effort.

“There were a couple of careless shots, but on the whole I think we were a bit too tentative and sometimes negative,” Carlisle said.

The third and final Test starts at Galle Saturday.