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Rangana Herath

Lords - June 2011 - E v SL - Rangana Herath Delivers (5858562848)
Lords - June 2011 - E v SL - Rangana Herath Delivers (5858562848) Image: Wikimedia Commons. Gareth Williams from Redhill, England / CC BY 2.0

Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath (born 19 March 1978), commonly known as Rangana Herath, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer who represented Sri Lanka across all formats of the international game and also served as Test captain. A left-arm orthodox spinner, he is widely regarded as one of the leading spin bowlers of his era and finished his career as the most successful left-arm bowler in Test cricket history.

Key facts

Full name Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath
Born 19 March 1978
Nationality Sri Lankan
Bowling style Left-arm orthodox spin
International career 1999–2018
Test wickets 433
Major team honour 2014 ICC World Twenty20 winner
Test captaincy From October 2016 (Zimbabwe tour)
Final Test Galle, vs England, November 2018

Background

Herath made his international debut in 1999 and went on to have the longest Test career of any Sri Lankan cricketer, spanning 19 years from 1999 to 2018. He played all three formats of international cricket for Sri Lanka.

Career

Bowling milestones

On 29 May 2016, Herath became only the third Sri Lankan bowler to take 300 Test wickets, after Muttiah Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas. On 8 November 2016, he became just the third bowler in history to record five-wicket hauls against every Test-playing nation. On 2 October 2017, he reached 400 Test wickets, becoming the second Sri Lankan bowler to do so and the first left-arm spinner in the history of Test cricket to reach the mark. He is also the oldest player to have reached both 350 and 400 Test wickets.

On 10 February 2018, during Sri Lanka's tour of Bangladesh, Herath surpassed Wasim Akram to become the most successful left-arm bowler in Test cricket history.

Captaincy

On 23 October 2016, Herath was named captain for Sri Lanka's tour of Zimbabwe after the regular captain Angelo Mathews was ruled out through injury. He thereby became the oldest Sri Lankan to lead a Test team for the first time, and the oldest debut Test captain from any country since Tom Graveney in 1968.

2014 ICC World Twenty20

Herath was a member of the Sri Lankan squad that won the 2014 ICC World Twenty20, the country's first ICC World Twenty20 title.

Retirement

On 22 October 2018, Herath announced that he would retire from international cricket after the first Test against England at Galle. He played his final Test on 6 November 2018 at the Galle International Stadium. In the first innings, he dismissed England captain Joe Root, becoming the third bowler in history to take 100 Test wickets at a single venue. He finished with 433 Test wickets, the most by any left-arm spinner in Test history, and described it as "the right time" to retire.

Significance

Herath's career is notable for its longevity, late peak and statistical dominance among left-arm bowlers. By the time of his retirement, he held the records for most Test wickets by a left-arm bowler and most Test wickets by a left-arm spinner, and was the first left-arm spinner to reach 400 Test wickets. His emergence as a frontline spinner for Sri Lanka, particularly in the years following Muralitharan's retirement, made him a central figure in Sri Lankan cricket through the 2010s.

References