Tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746: A Test of Rangana Herath – Opinion
Spin bowling has always been the strength of the Sri Lankan side, especially in the last one and a half decade, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Muralitharan-c1864 performing like a champion and helping the Islanders taste success in all formats of the game.
In the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ST-Jayasuriya-c2567, helping their side clinch the title.
Since Murali’s retirement however, the Lankan bowling attack looks extremely thin, struggling to pose a real threat to the opposing teams, especially in the longer format of the game. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BAW-Mendis-c1127 was always tipped to be the future
star of the Island’s cricket but the mystery spinner has not been playing international cricket consistently because of fitness issues.
In this darkness however, there has been a ray of light in shape of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/HMRKB-Herath-c1559, the experienced left-arm spinner, who has been performing exceptionally well. With one match still to be played in 2012, Herath has already picked up
60 wickets in the calendar year in just nine fixtures, at an average of about 22 runs per victim.
The cricketer from Kurunegala was at the top of his game during the recently finished series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754, picking up 20 wickets in just two matches to be named as the Player of the Series.
In the on-going tour of Australia, the left-armer failed to make an impression in the first innings of the Hobart Test, having bowled 26 wicket-less overs. However, the 34-year-old cricketer showed the strength of his character to bounce
back in the second innings and grab a five-wicket haul to answer his critics in the best possible manner.
With the second match all set to begin from December 26, at Melbourne, Herath believes that he has a greater chance of succeeding as the pitch for the second Test is expected to offer more turn to the spinners.
On top of that, Herath thinks that there are not enough quality spinners in Sheffield Shield cricket, which should make it hard for the Aussie batsmen to cope with his left-arm spin.
“I know that the Australians, playing even in domestic cricket, they are 80-90 per cent playing against fast bowlers," Herath expressed. “So with that, I have chances to get wickets bowling spin.”
With http://www.senore.com/Cricket/TM-Dilshan-c2691 and company bounced back from 0-1 down to win the second Test against South Africa at Durban.
“In South Africa, (it was) the same scenario,” the seasoned cricketer added. “We lost against South Africa in the first Test and we came back strongly and we did well and we won against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 in that Boxing Day Test match. That was a remarkable one,
because that's the only (Test) we have won against South Africa on their soil.”
After the Boxing Day fixture, the two teams will play the last match of the series at Sydney, where the pitches are conducive for slow bowlers. Herath is not yet considered to be a massive threat outside Sri Lanka and the left-arm spinner
has a great chance of establishing his authority as one of the world’s leading spinners by doing well in the remaining two matches down under.
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