Veteran Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath has admitted that his body isn’t holding up to the rigours of international cricket as well as he’d like, but hopes he’ll be able to keep going until early 2016 at least.
Herath wants to be part of his side’s World Twenty20 title defence in India in March, and hopes his tricky knee holds out, even though he’ll be 38 by then.
Herath said: “With my age you cannot perform the way you did some 10-15 years ago. From my fitness I am doing the maximum with the injury, I am struggling a little bit on it.
“I cannot give a guarantee with my bowling or my fitness. I am trying to retain whatever energy I have and to prolong my career I have reduced the number of one-day matches and play only Tests.
“If I put a target to end my career I will not be able to give my maximum to the team. Every time I play I look to give 100 percent to the team. But before long I will have to take a decision on my future.
“I will decide after the World T20 which is to be played in India next year. We are the reigning champions and we have a good chance of defending it with the present team although they lack in a bit in experience.”
One reason he’d like to keep going, aside from his own personal milestones, is to give skipper Angelo Mathews as much help as he can, given the retirements of many senior players in recent months.
Herath is one of the last remaining veterans in the young side, and he feels it wouldn’t be fair to Mathews to add another problem to his plate, especially as the bowling attack often gets shaken up due to injuries, chucking bans, and poor form.
He added: “Even when Mahela and Sanga were around as a bowler I offered advice and assistance to Angelo. In future, Angelo will require the support of all the team members.
“As a senior player I also have a responsibility to support him especially from the bowling side. If you take our bowling unit apart from Dhammika [Prasad] and me the rest have not played many matches.
“When you play with an inexperienced bowling unit, the captain will need to have a lot of patience because you will not get the breaks every time you need them.
“In the past five-six years it has been this bowling unit which has been shuffled around and played. We always look as a team to build partnerships with the bowling unit.
“If anyone is bowling well from one side, not consistently bowling maiden overs but lessening the number of loose balls and not allowing batsmen the freedom to score, the strike bowler has more chances of taking wickets.”
