Lanka's Rangana Herath to retire after first Test against England
Sri Lankan left-arm bowler, Rangana Herath, has announced that he will be hanging up his boots after Sri Lanka play their first Test against England at Galle. Till now, the 40-year-old has played 92 Tests for his country since debuting in 1999 at Galle against Australia. He has, reportedly, informed selectors that he is hesitant to play the entire three-match series. Details follow.
Galle is a special venue for Herath
Galle has been a special ground for the veteran spinner throughout his career, with his debut being staged there as well. Moreover, he has already bagged 99 wickets at the hallowed ground, twelve short of legendary spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. In 2009, at 31, Herath took 5 wickets at Galle in a Test match against Pakistan when he was recalled from his stint in England.
Here is a look at Herath's career
Herath has played 92 Test matches for Lanka, picking up 430 Test scalps with 9/127 as his best figure in an innings. The legendary bowler also has 34 five-wicket hauls to his name. Herath had surpassed Daniel Vettori as the most successful left-arm spinner, in 2017, when he picked up six wickets for 59 runs against Bangladesh and helped Sri Lanka win the match.
Herath overcame Akram, became most successful left-handed bowler in Tests
February 2018 saw Herath become the most successful left-handed bowler in Test history when he bettered Wasim Akram's 414 wicket-haul. He achieved this milestone when he took the wicket of Bangladesh's Islam during their Test at Dhaka.
Herath hasn't played a complete Test series since 2017
Herath had left the 2017 Test series against India after suffering an injury, and since then, has not played a complete Test series. In June 2018, he had taken part in only a single Test against West Indies. He single-handedly took up the responsibility of Sri Lanka's spin attack after Muralitharan passed on his baton. Unfortunately, knee injuries impacted his career several times.
Other records held by the champion
Herath has 106 wickets against Pakistan, surpassing Kapil Dev's record of 99. He is the first left-arm spinner ever to grab 400 Test cricket scalps and the second spinner for Sri Lankans to reach the feat. Herath is joint-third with Richard Hadlee in terms of 10-wicket hauls in Tests, both having done so nine times each, led by Murali (22) and Warne (10).
