COLOMBO: Sri Lanka spin bowler Rangana Herath will retire from international cricket next month after the first Test against England.
Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement on Monday that Herath announced his decision at a meeting with cricket board officials.
“We respect and support Rangana’s decision, even though his retirement
will be a big loss for Sri Lanka Cricket,” SLC chief executive Ashley de
Silva said.
The 40-year-old Herath made his Test debut in 1999 and has played 92
Tests with 430 wickets. He has already retired from shorter formats.
Despite a promising start to his career, Herath’s chances to represent
Sri Lanka were limited for the next decade because of the presence of
record-breaking bowler Muttiah Muralitharan in the team.
Herath, however, persisted with good performances in domestic cricket and by playing for clubs in England.
He was recalled unexpectedly to the national team for a test match
against Pakistan while playing in England in 2009 and immediately made
an impact with a match-winning performance. It marked the beginning of a
highly successful second phase of his career during which he took on
the mantle of a match winner from Muralitharan, who retired with 800
Test wickets in 2010.
During the second phase, Herath played in 78 Tests in nine years and
took 394 wickets to become the most successful left arm spinner in Test
cricket history. He is 10th in the list of highest wicket takers in Test
matches.
Herath has 74 wickets in one-day internationals and 18 wickets in Twenty 20 internationals.
The first Test against England will begin in Galle on Nov. 6.
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