Another 10-wicket haul for veteran left-armer as Sri Lanka face uphill battle against Zimbabwe
Unassuming Herath claims more history
Sri Lanka veteran Rangana Herath claimed 6-133 in the second innings of the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in Colombo to complete another 10-wicket haul in his remarkable career.
In doing so, Herath joined Anil Kumble with eight 10-wicket hauls in Test cricket; only three players in history have more.
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Those players – Muthiah Muralidaran, Shane Warne and Sir Richard Hadlee – are bone fide legends of the game and Herath's case to be considered amongst those legends gets stronger every time he rolls over his left arm.
The 39-year-old's compatriot and Test cricket's leading wicket-taker, Muralidaran, captured the most 10-wicket hauls with 22, 12 more than Warne in second place and 13 more than Hadlee.
Alongside Herath is India's former coach and master leg-spinner Kumble, and below those two wily tweakers it's a who's who of brilliant bowlers.
Sid Barnes, Ravi Ashwin, Clarrie Grimmett and Dennis Lillee have all claimed 10-wicket hauls on seven occasions, providing a clear indication of the sort of talent Herath has surpassed.
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The stocky left-arm orthodox spinner claimed 5-116 in the first innings against Zimbabwe at R Premadasa Stadium before taking a bag of six in the tourists' second innings of 377, which left the hosts needing 388 to win.
The two returns lifted his lifetime tally of five-wicket hauls to 31, moving him into fifth place behind Murali, Warne, Hadlee and Kumble.
He now has 383 wickets to his name, and despite being in the closing stages of his fourth decade, the seasoned campaigner has at least one goal left to achieve before hanging up the spikes.
“I don’t know how long I will go on and how long I will have my form. But I would like to get to 400 wickets,” he said in March after guiding Sri Lanka to Test victory over Bangladesh in Galle.
“Only a few legends of the game have taken 400 Test wickets. So that will be great. I don’t know if I will have this form always. I am looking forward to do my job for the team.”