2018 round-up: 5 biggest retirements in cricket

#2 Rangana Herath

Rangana Herath

Sri Lanka’s most successful bowler after Muttiah Muralitharan, Rangana Herath called it a day from the field after playing in the first Test against England in November at Galle. He picked up only one wicket, but that does not erase the phenomenal numbers in his illustrious career.

Emerging out of the shadow of Muralitharan, the left-arm spinner played 71 matches and bagged 362 wickets at an average of 26.15. He picked up nine 10-wicket hauls in this period. With records galore, the 40-year-old Herath ended his career with jaw-dropping 433 wickets in 93 Tests; 398 of those wickets came after the age of 30.

In terms of how much a team will miss someone, Herath's is a body blow for a Sri Lankan team in rapid decline. He was the shining light who was decimating oppositions and allowing their fragile batting order to not get over exposed. But now without him it certainly would be intriguing to see how Sri Lanka as a test team can cope.