Rangana Herath, the stocky, smiling banker from Sri Lanka keeps producing one match-winning performance after another for Sri Lanka. The left-arm spinner is a diminutive presence on the field but when that cricket ball fizzes out of his fingers, they are potential weapons which have the ability to dismantle the opposition.
Ask the Australians, well they are left licking their wounds after Herath combined with Dilruwan Perera humiliated them in the recently concluded Test match. The Australians are now staring at another whitewash in Asia, and if current form of Herath is anything to go by, this result can very well transpire over the next week.
Herath who assumed prominence only after the retirement of Muttiah Muralitharan has become one of the trump cards for Sri Lanka, and he is a menacing object in home conditions. And is a very likeable character too, he keeps smiling and combines it with a terrific work ethic.
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Although, it is very difficult to gauge the importance of Rangana Herath only in numbers, here in this list we take at 5 of his top bowling performances in a match.
#1 Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, SSC, 2014
This was the farewell match of one of Sri Lanka's greatest ever batsman, Mahela Jayawardene, and Rangana Herath made sure that it would be a memorable one.
The match itself was a see-saw affair, as both Pakistan and Sri Lanka could only be separated by a Rangana Herath spell late on the fourth day.
Batting first, Sri Lanka posted 320 in their first innings. In reply, Pakistan too scored 332 runs.
Rangana Herath stole the show in the first innings as he picked up as many as 9 wickets in the innings.
Trailing by 12 runs, Sri Lanka managed to put up a decent score of 282, and thus Pakistan had to chase down a target of 271 runs, on a slow and sluggish SSC track.
However, Pakistan were thrown to the mat when they lost 7 wickets in the afternoon session and were reduced to 127/7 by the end of Day 4. Herath took 4 wickets, and then added another one on the fifth day.
He finished with 14 wickets in the match.
#2 Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh, Colombo, 2013
The veteran Rangana Herath celebrated his 35th birthday by claiming 12 wickets for 157 runs against Bangladesh and set up a 1-0 series win. Herath also completed 200 wickets in Test cricket in the process.
The left-arm spinner picked up 5 wickets in the first innings and restricted Bangladesh to 240 runs. In response, Sri Lanka scored 346 runs and earned a lead of 106 runs.
Herath shone once again in the second essay, as he accounted for as many as 7 wickets. Bangladesh folded for 265 runs and set Sri Lanka a target of 160 runs.
Assured half-centuries from Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara ensured Sri Lanka got home by 7 wickets.
#3 Sri Lanka vs England, Galle, 2012
England have never found Asia to be a happy hunting ground, and they were once again tested by the spinning ball. Galle has traditionally been a spin-friendly surface, and thus when Sri Lanka batted first on the surface and scored a formidable 312 in their first innings, the going was always tough for the English.
True to predictions they were bundled out for 193 runs in their first innings, and Herath ruled the roost as he picked up 6 wickets in the first dig.
England were kept afloat by a Graeme Swann spell as the off-spinner picked up 6 wickets in the second innings, and restricted the hosts to 214 runs. However, the lead and the eventual target for England was 364 runs, which was like a mountain to climb on the Galle surface.
Herath once again became the wrecker in chief as he picked up another 6-wicket haul, and helped bowl out England for 264 runs. Only Jonathan Trott had answers and the right-hander compiled a gritty 112 runs but found no support from any other batsmen.
#4 Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, Galle, 2012
Galle has always been a happy hunting ground for Rangana Herath, and this time, it was time of the Kiwis to dance to the tunes of the left-arm spinner.
This was the first match in the Test series and New Zealand started in an abysmal manner as they folded for 221 runs in their first innings after winning a crucial toss. Herath came to the fore once again as he picked up a fiver in the innings.
Sri Lanka responded with a score of 247, thanks mainly to Tim Southee and Jeetan Patel. However, the Kiwis were once again found wanting against Herath and fell away for a miserable 118 runs. The smiling left-armer picked up 6 wickets in the second essay.
A target of 93 runs was never going to be a tough prospect for the Sri Lankan openers and they breached the total without being separated.
#5 Sri Lanka vs West Indies, Galle, 2015
West Indies never got going right through this series, and thus were nothing more than feeble competition for Sri Lanka.
Herath's love affair with Galle continued as he picked up his fifth 10-wicket match haul in Test cricket, and Sri Lanka trounced West Indies by an innings and six runs on the fourth day. In the process, he equalled Abdul Qadir and Harbhajan Singh, both of whom have 5 10-wicket hauls.
In the first innings, the stocky spinner picked up 6 wickets and bundled out the West Indies for 251 runs. Sri Lanka, who scored 484 runs in the first innings, asked the visitors to follow on, but their sorry display continued as they caved in again for 227 runs.
Herath claimed 4 more wickets in the final innings, and Sri Lanka trounced West Indies by an innings and 6 runs.
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