Placed second are Australia with 60.71 percentage points, followed by India (57.29%) in the aftermath of their defeat at Adelaide.
"For a lot of the guys it was a proper taste of what Test cricket is about," said South African captain Temba Bavuma of a hard-fought match which went into the fifth day.
"It's rare when you get to play for five days and it's also rare when the game is always in the balance. There were times when we were on top and times when Sri Lanka were getting the momentum on their side."
South Africa's win makes the race to Lord's next year largely a three-team affair as England and New Zealand are no longer in contention while Sri Lanka and Pakistan must stretch themselves and then depend on other results to make the cut.
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