Little Man, Big Heart

The little warrior of Sri Lanka, Rangara Herath, will retire after the current Test v England in Galle.

At 40, he's earned a rest, more so because he has been the mainstay of the Sri Lankan attack since the legend Muralitheran retired in 2010. Despite making his debut in 1999, the first eleven years of his career had netted only 71 wickets @ 37. Since the shadow of the great mystery spinner left in July 2010 and Herath emerged into the limelight by himself, the left arm orthodox has claimed 359 wickets and his average is now 28. There has been little doubt he has been virtually the only threat posed with the ball by any of the Lions in that time.

His achievements are almost as long as his name: Herath Mudiyanselage Rangana Keerthi Bandara Herath.

At 15th on the all time list of ducks in Test cricket, he gets the chance in Galle of joining James Anderson at 12th, although Anderson could always leap frog with his own performance. Of course, its with the ball he will be remembered. If greatness is measured in numbers, he has some impressive ones, being not only the most successful left arm spinner in Test cricket history when he passed Dan Vettori's tally in March 2017 but early this year, he became the most successful left arm bowler in Tests when he passed Wasim Akram. He is also only the third bowler to take five wicket hauls against all Test playing countries.

As to greatness, as always, that's another story. Wicket tallies don't reveal that judgment with accuracy. Numbers are the modern supporters way of dismissing the past. Greater than Vettori? My Nan was a better bowler than the Kiwi boredom machine but greater than Bishen Bedi? Greater than Derek Underwood? I reckon it boils down to who you would rather face. Still, at this level of competency, it really starts to become a matter of splitting fine hairs. In the end, its not the numbers, its what you see when you watch them. Its how the atmosphere of the contest changes when they come on. Its the Lillee hush or the Warne move to the front edge of your seat. Its the hairs on the back of the batsman's neck. Maybe Herath never quite reached that level but his efforts in keeping this Sri Lankan side competitive can't be denied.

His secret has never been ripping turn or spitting bounce because like Bishen Bedi, his wickets have been born of patience and unwavering commitment to control over line, length and flight. Herath can drop the ball on the same spot with such regularity that pitch maps have a hard time plotting him and he does this over after over after over, for although his physique might indicate otherwise, he has stamina. Even after he passed 35, he continued to preserve himself and torture batsmen with his control. There is no doubt pitches in Sri Lanka favoured him, just as pitches in Australia favour young men with strong backs and pace but although he has been less effective away from home, he has still been effective. His average in Australia (33) may not seem impressive but his few wickets have come from even fewer Tests and with a strike rate of 67 and an economy rate of 3.02, he has significantly better stats in Australia than the world's most prolific wicket taker, Muralitheran.

As he whirs away against England in Galle this one last time, a Test victory for Tim Paine in the late Australian summer just became more likely.