Rangana Herath does not make a very good superhero: “Short, old, pudgy, with a bad haircut” does not scream out “Sporting Superstar”; it barely whispers it. If you saw him on the street and did not know him, the closest you would associate him to a cricket ground is as a father taking his kids to see the game.
He does not inspire fear and awe in the opposition in the way Lasith Malinga does. He is not an eloquent and charismatic role model like Kumar Sangakkara. Rangana Herath does not look like a sporting great; He does not look like the kind of guy who could beat out the above mentioned superstars to be named “Cricketer of the Year”. Yet he did; and he fully deserved it.
When Herath first came onto the scene, it was as Murali’s understudy. Always underrated and rarely needed, he was usually surplus to requirements during the magician’s era. However, it was not until Murali hung up his boots that he would have realized just how underrated he was: the Master’s impending retirement was greeted with ominous prophesies of doom: the cupboard was bare, they said. Sri Lanka scrambled to find young stars to replace him. That Herath could be the suitable replacement was barely even considered at the time. He was too orthodox, too plain, and too simple. He had no mystery, no flair. He could never be the spearhead of a subcontinent spin attack. Ajantha Mendis was anointed the ‘Chosen One’ after he wove webs of magic against India. Suraj Randiv was another favoured for his extra height and variations. Sri Lanka seemed to have stumbled on a gold mine of spinners and it looked like Herath would remain in the background.
Fast forward to 2013, and Rangana Herath IS Sri Lanka’s Test bowling attack. He singlehandedly bears the burden of taking wickets for Sri Lanka, much like Muralitharan did in the days of yore. Since the start of 2012, he has taken 81 wickets in 13 test matches. The next highest in that same period is 22, by Shaminda Eranga. Herath’s figures during that time include 9 five wicket hauls. They’re the kind of figures that should have fans praising him as a cult hero. Yet even now, it does not seem likely that Herath will ever truly be rated among the legends that this country has produced. The service he provides right now, and the burden on him, may be similar to that of Murali, but he is also very different from the spin legend.
Murali was about spin and bounce, relentlessly battering down on the front door until it fell apart. Herath is the kind of bowler who patiently works on picking the lock; far less fanfare but just as effective. There is no special magic- no delivery he bowls will ever be earmarked as “ball of the century”- but to a trained eye, watching Herath at work is a completely different art form. He is about patience and guile, steadily chipping away at the batsmen, ball after ball.
Rangana Herath is not about one magic wicket taking delivery. Every ball he bowls is part of a plan. The field is set according to that plan, and most importantly, he is able to pitch the ball where he wants to, consistently. Patience, consistency and a cunning mind are his weapons. Weapons refined by hours and hours of hard work. It may not make for the most appealing spectacle in the game, but as the statistics show, it is extremely effective.
There are some who are quick to dismiss Herath’s achievements as those made by a “home track bully.” Yes, he has done better at home than he has overseas, but that can be said of most international Test cricketers, even the great Murali: Yes, a great majority of Herath’s wickets in the past year were at home; but if one needs evidence as to his prowess overseas, look no further back than Sri Lanka’s last tour to Australia. Even Michael Clarke, one of the best batsmen in the world currently, and in the form of his life was put to the test. The longer he played Herath, the harder it got for him. When Herath finally induced the edge, it was dropped; watch Herath bowl to Shane Watson in that same match. A David vs. Goliath scenario where David had Goliath dancing on puppet strings. Watson was also dropped; hours of hard work ending in success, yet ultimately bringing no great reward: the essence of his career. That Herath has not had more success overseas in recent times can be blamed on Sri Lanka’s lax approach to scheduling Test tours more than anything else.
The case for his approach is only strengthened by the fortunes of his fellow spinners. While Herath quietly carries the Lankan bowling on his back, the youngsters initially earmarked to take his place have fallen off the wayside. Ajantha Mendis’ career unravelled quickly once his novelty had worn off. Although he has found a place in the T20 side again, it remains to be seen if he can ever claw his way back up to the longest format of the game. Since 2012, he has only played the one Test match, picking up only two wickets. Randiv has failed to deliver much during his short stint at the top, with only 22 wickets in the 6 games he got since the start of 2012. Akhila Dhananjaya was another young lad thrust briefly into the international arena, before saner heads decided to send him to the domestic circuit first. With Herath now at the twilight of his career, these are events to be regarded seriously. Of course Herath has bowled twice as many overs in this period than all the others spinners combined, but it is his success where others failed that brought about this extended run, not the other way around. Consider the years 2010 and 2011: In Test matches, Rangana Herath captured 60 wickets. Randiv and Mendis scalped 56 apiece. Yet Herath was only played in 25 games, while Randiv and Mendis got 35 and 37 respectively. Herath’s economy rate at the time was under three runs an over, while the other two were touching four runs per over, yet another testament to the effectiveness of the short left armer.
Sri Lanka has been noted for its crop of unorthodox bowlers coming through the ranks. Murali was the first, and since then, others have all attempted to come through with their own unique, off the manual, styles. In the shorter formats, it has worked out quite well for us. Multiple World Cup finals and a number one ranking in T20 cricket are testament to that. Yet, in the longest format, Sri Lanka’s fortunes have not been so good, and our best bowler has been the most conventional one of the lot.
Perhaps there is something to learn there. Test cricket is a totally different ball game to the shorter formats, and perhaps we should temper our love affair with the abnormal a little bit, when considering the Test team. Maybe instead of looking for the next Murali or Malinga, we should look out for one or two Heraths. There is work to be done in this regard; perhaps at the national domestic level, or in the schools coaching system. Whatever the problem, it needs to be solved soon if Sri Lanka is to continue being a major player in the test arena.
For the moment though, we continue to rely on Rangana Herath, Sri Lanka’s perennial workhorse. Perhaps no Hollywood director will rush to make a movie about him, but Rangana Herath is a hero. Perhaps we will never see him that way, or perhaps the awards he won means that he is finally getting recognition for his achievements. But whatever we say or do, until his time is up, as he has done for so many years, he will continue to quietly wheel away.
