That Sri Lanka beat Zimbabwe 2-0 in the latest Test series can be no surprise to anyone. Neither was the fact that their stand-in skipper Rangana Herath took plenty of wickets. However, after so many years in the shadow of Muttiah Muralitharan, his reaching 350 wickets with another ten-wicket haul has perhaps crept up on us with silent speed.
Only five men have than 350 Test wickets in fewer games, and only one spinner (Murali) has done so. Herath has become the first captain since Kapil Dev in 1985 to capture eight victims in an innings, and his 13-152 was the best ever bowling performance in Zimbabwe. Furthermore, no bowler still in the game has more five-fors (28) to his name. The impressive stats go on.
Perhaps the one which struck me most was that he became only the third man, after Dale Steyn and the inevitable Murali, to snaffle a five-wicket haul against all other Test playing countries. That’s quite a milestone in this day and age. And yet in my mind something prevents him from taking his place in the pantheon of all-time greats.
The thing is, for all his eye-catching exploits during 2016, including his leading role in that 3-0 demolition of Australia, he has done very little outside Sri Lanka. On home territory he has taken 231 wickets at 23 in 41 Tests, which is pretty darned good. But away, the record is a meagre 96 at 38 in 24. In the neutral UAE, it’s a similar story: 24 at 36 in six matches.
It’s not just a matter of Asia; good; rest of the world: bad. Not only in England and New Zealand, but also Bangladesh and India is Herath’s Test average worse than 45. At 38 years old, he may not have many opportunities to improve on these stats. Nevertheless, he seems to be in prime form right now and, particularly in Angelo Mathews’ enforced absence, is increasingly important to his country’s fortunes.
Yet what impresses me most about his career facts and figures is not what he has done on the international stage. These days, top bowlers focus primarily on Tests, ODIs and so on. Therefore it is highly unusual for anyone to take 700 first-class wickets in the twenty-first century. Herath is just 20 short of 1,000. And that is with relatively few years in county cricket, where the likes of Murali, Walsh, Marshall, Kumble and Warne supplemented their Test hauls to top the thousand mark.
The Sri Lankan’s first-class record probably owes much to the paucity of his limited-overs appearances. As a superb left-armer, his T20 economy rate is barely six; world-class, you’d think. Maybe his fielding and batting have held him back from Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20 sides. However, in past years he has had the chance to extend his domestic first-class experience.
Whatever else Herath does for his country, I will certainly cheer his joining the 1000 club. That’s genuinely one for the modern record books.
