CricTracker fan poll – 5 best Test bowlers of the year

3. Rangana Herath – 9% votes

It was a disappointing beginning of the year for both Sri Lanka and Rangana Herath. They began with a 3-match Test series in England and lost 0-2. Herath hardly made an impact throughout the series and finished with a handful of 7 wickets in 3 Tests at an unimpressive average of 43.28.

Sri Lanka’s next assignment was against Australia in their own territory and Herath was back to his usual best. They tamed the Aussies throughout the series and thumped them 3-0. This was the first time Sri Lanka inflicted a whitewash on any top Test playing nation. Herath was unplayable on certain occasions and finished with 28 wickets in only 3 matches at an astonishing average of 12.5. His best bowling figures came in the final Test at Colombo where he finished with figures of 13/145 in the match.

Sri Lanka then flew to Zimbabwe to play a 2-match Test series and as expected won the Test series 2-0 without much fuss. Herath who was leading the team was yet again at his sublime best and bamboozled the inexperienced batting line-up with his brilliant bowling. He finished with 19 wickets in the series at an average of just over 15.

Also read- CricTracker fan poll – 5 Best ODI bowlers of the year