KANDY, Sri Lanka (AP)

Muttiah Muralitharan became just the second bowler in history to take 700 test wickets as he claimed six victims Saturday to lead Sri Lanka to a third successive victory over Bangladesh by more than an innings.

Muralitharan joined retired Australian legspinner Shane Warne in the exclusive 700 club with the last ball of the match when Syed Rasel tried to hit him down the ground but instead spooned it to Farveez Maharoof. Man-of-the-match 'Murali' was mobbed by teammates after the final wicket, fittingly coming on his home ground.

It is likely Muralitharan will break Warne's record of 708 wickets when he tours Australia with Sri Lanka in November.

The result made Sri Lanka just the third side in history to win every test in a three-test series by more than an innings, joining England against the West Indies in 1928 and India against Sri Lanka in 1994.

Muralitharan finished with 12 wickets for the test, and 26 for the series, winning player of the series status.

It was his 60th five wicket haul in an innings, and his 20th instance of ten wickets in a match.

Sri Lanka declared its first innings at the overnight score of 500-4 - a lead of 369 - with Kumar Sangakkara unbeaten on 222.

Bangladesh performed well in the opening session Saturday, to be 106-2 at lunch, but collapsed to lose its last eight wickets for just 53 runs to be all out for 176, with the match over before tea.

Sri Lanka's winning margin was an innings and 193 runs. They won the first test by an innings and 234 runs and followed that up by wining the second test by an innings and 90 runs.

SCOREBOARD

Bangladesh 1st Innings 131 all out

Sri Lanka, 1st Innings

Overnight: 500 for four)

Michael Van Dort b Rasel 43

Upul Tharanga lbw b Rasel 12

Kumar Sangakkara not out 222

M. Jayawardene c Ashraful b Rasel 165

Chamara Silva run out 25

Tillekeratne Dilshan not out 17

Extras: (4b,2lb,8nb,2w) 16

TOTAL: (for four wickets, dec.) 500

Overs: 107

Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-74, 3-385, 4-445.

Did not bat: Prasanna Jayawardene, Farveez Maharoof, Lasith Malinga, Sujeeva de Silva, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Bowling: Mashrafe Mortaza 24-2-125-0 (2w) (1nb), Syed Rasel 31-1-104-3 (5nb), Shahadat Hossain 16-1-71-0 (1nb), Mohammad Rafique 14-1-72-0 (1nb), Mohammad Ashraful 12-0-74-0, Tushar Imran 10-0-48-0.

Bangladesh, 2nd Innings

J Omar c Sangakkara b Malinga 22

S Nafees c M. J’dene b M’tharan 64

H Bashar b Muralitharan 15

M Ashraful lbw b Muralitharan 19

M Rahim c Tharanga b de Silva 1

T Imran c M. Jayawardene b Malinga 17

R Saleh c M. Jayawardene b de Silva 0

M Mortaza c sub b Muralitharan 8

Mohammad Rafique not out 0

Shahadat Hossain b Muralitharan 5

S Rasel c Maharoof b Muralitharan 4

Extras: (nb13,w3,b4,lb1) 21

TOTAL: (all out) 176

Overs: 59

Fall of wickets: 1-47, 2-98, 3-123, 4-138, 5-138, 6-142, 7-166, 8-167, 9-172, 10-176.

Bowling: Lasith Malinga 10-0-46-2 (w1,nb6), Sujeeva de Silva 12-4-34-2 (2w,4nb), Farveez Maharoof 16-7-37-0 (3nb), Muttiah Muralitharan 21-5-54-6.

Umpires: Suresh Shastri, India, and Rudi Koertzen, South Africa.

TV Umpire: Ranmore Martinez, Sri Lanka. Match Referee: Jeff Crowe, New Zealand.

Toss: Won by Sri Lanka.

Result: Sri Lanka wins by an innings and 193 runs.

Series: Sri Lanka wins 3-0.

Man-of-the-match: Muttiah Muralitharan.

Man-of-the-series: Muttiah Muralitharan.