Rangana Herath - Sri Lanka's weapon, Australia's nemesis

In physical terms, Rangana Herath evokes cricketers of a bygone era. He is short (about 168cm), somewhat rotund and doesn't particularly like running around in the field. The ageing left-arm spinner, who loves a swig of beer, may provoke some scorn but the 38-year-old is well used to being overlooked.


After all, Herath only became a mainstay in the Sri Lankan team at the end of the 2000s, towards the backend of Muttiah Muralitharan's legendary Test career. Herath toiled away in the background for a decade after making his Test debut in 1999; he occasionally had success as Muralitharan's sidekick, but endured several barren stretches, including nearly four years in the Test wilderness from 2000-04.

Even since emerging from Muralitharan's shadow, it feels that Herath has been under-appreciated despite seamlessly filling the sizeable shoes of his predecessor. Since the start of 2011, Herath has taken 226 wickets in 46 Tests to become Sri Lanka's main weapon in attack. Unlike Muralitharan, Herath relies on accuracy and subtle variations, rather than sharp turn or startling bounce. Much like Test cricket's highest wicket-taker, Herath is indefatigable and can bowl for long periods.

Such perseverance has spearheaded Herath to 304 Test wickets, a tally only Muralitharan and left-arm paceman Chaminda Vaas have surpassed for Sri Lanka. Despite coming off an underwhelming tour of England, where he claimed just seven wickets in three Tests, Herath looms as the main obstacle to an inevitable Australian series victory in Sri Lanka. With a horrid record in the sub-continent during the past decade, you feel Australia won't be taking Sri Lanka lightly, particularly armed with the knowledge that Herath has a decent record against them (38 wickets from 8 Tests).

From afar, watching the Test series with intrigue will be former Sri Lankan all-rounder Suresh Perera, who played three Tests and 20 ODIs between 1998 and 2001. These days Perera lives in Perth, Western Australia, where he still plays club cricket. Being only one month older than Herath, Perera marvels at the longevity of his former teammate, who he played school cricket with 20 years ago.

"It is amazing he is still playing international cricket, sometimes I can't believe it because it feels like a lifetime ago we were playing together," Perera chuckles, during a phone interview with Cricbuzz. Perera and Herath never played together for Sri Lanka but did tour with Sri Lanka 'A' in the early 2000s. They regularly combated each other as opponents at club level in Sri Lanka throughout the 2000s, when both were at the fringes of the international level.

Despite Herath's international career stuttering at times, Perera was always bullish the left-armer would eventually make his mark. "He was always a smart and hard-working bowler who I thought was going to make it but his international career was delayed because of Murali," he says. "Herath loved working on his bowling and he has lots of variations that has made him a really tricky bowler to counter. He's accurate, has clever changes of pace and can bowl all day, so Australia will find him difficult to play in conditions he loves."

A key to Herath's success has been his ability to strike a healthy balance between the rigours of international cricket and downtime, according to Perera. "He is one of those guys who works really hard at practice and out in the middle but off-field he likes to have some fun," he says. Illustrating the point, Perera remembers one day bumping into Herath at a service station in Colombo. After exchanging pleasantries, Perera drove away after refuelling and received a phone call not long after. "It was Herath who asked if I wanted to have a beer.....it was 10am," Perera chortles. "He's a fun-loving guy. He was always good for banter and loved to rib teammates."

Perera, who remains close friends with Herath, says behind the 70-Test veteran's affable demeanour is a fierce competitor. "He is quite forthright and strict on the field," he says. "If you don't play hard, you will get told. Herath is a really good team man because he knows when to have fun and when to be serious."

After a disappointing series in England and with Sri Lanka slumping, question marks abound over Herath's future but Perera believes it is not the beginning of the end for him. "I think he can keep playing for another two-three years," he says. "He is a fighter and just relishes the battle. Sri Lanka are lucky to have him."