SOMERSET spin bowler Jack Leach claimed his 300th First-Class wicket and became England's all-time leading Test wicket-taker in Sri Lanka, as the tourists completed a 2-0 series victory in Galle on Monday.

Leach and former Somerset team-mate Dom Bess both struggled in Sri Lanka's first innings, albeit on a surface that offered little to the spinners, but they were back with a vengeance as the hosts collapsed to 126 all out.

Chasing 164 to win the match and the series, England were wobbling a little on 89-4, but Dom Sibley (56*) and Taunton-born Jos Buttler (46*) eased them to a six-wicket victory.

Bess (0-76 off 26 overs) and Leach (0-119 off 38) had toiled in the heat previously, as Sri Lanka racked up 381 for a first-innings lead of 37 runs, but Bess did add 32 valuable runs alongside Joe Root's 186*.

Eager for an early breakthrough in the home side's second innings, England offered up just four overs of seam before turning to their spinners.

Leach did not take long to reward that decision, as his second ball produced the first dismissal.

Kusal Perera knelt down and swung hard at a sweep, making no contact as the ball skidded on into his midriff, and the umpire raised his finger.

Bess then took care of Oshada Fernando, the ball clipping the batsman's front pad and ballooning up to Zak Crawley at short leg.

Crawley showed excellent reflexes to reduce Sri Lanka to 37-3, as Lahiru Thirimanne flicked Leach off the face of the bat but was well caught.

Bess continued the sequence with his second wicket, clean bowling the dangerous Angelo Mathews - who had attempted a hearty sweep shot - and Leach's third (Dinesh Chandimal, caught by James Anderson) had the hosts panicking at 47-5.

It was 67-6 at lunch, as Niroshan Dickwella picked out Dan Lawrence to give Bess his third wicket.

Soon it was 70-7, as Crawley's third catch provided Bess with his fourth scalp of the day, and then 78-8 as Ramesh Mendis botched a sweep shot, under-edging Leach straight into the toe of his boot, with wicketkeeper Buttler nipping round to gather.

That made it four wickets for Leach (he ended with figures of 4-59 off 14 overs), and a total of 28 in Sri Lanka to head the all-time list for England Test players in the country.

Lasith Embuldeniya (40) resisted for a while, taking his side's lead up past 150, before Root brought himself on to bowl and promptly claimed two wickets in two balls to clean up the tail, as Sri Lanka were 126 all out in 35.5 overs.

Sibley and Buttler did the rest, meaning that England have won five consecutive away Tests for the first time since 1914.

Bess, Buttler and Leach are all in the England squad as they move on to India, for four Test matches (February 5-9, February 13-17, February 24-28 and March 4-8).