Rangana Herath: The Old Dog and his new tricks

The figure of Rangana Herath is something far adrift from an athlete. Some people tell me not to judge a book by its cover. For many, Herath resembles someone who exudes the professionalism of a large multi-national firm. In short, he resembles a career man, someone who does what he is supposed to from 9 am to 5 pm and heads back to the haven of his home in the evening. As is the case , or the most part, I was wrong yet again about Mr. Rangana Herath.

For all the James Bond fans reading this, ‘Skyfall’ is all about the MI6 allowing their ‘Old Dog’ to run away with film. Although that may not have been the major storyline as far as Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson were concerned, the fact that it somehow connects to the certain cricketers who have been defying age and have continued playing for as long as their bodies have allowed them to. Misbah-ul-Haq and Rangana Herath are two of these players who embrace the fact that cricket is their gateway drug to happiness in life.

At the age of 38, Herath is clearly a senior member of the side. The blemish of white hair on the sides go on to show the weathering of 17 years of international cricketing experience. However, as has been the case of many spinners, they usually tend to live in the shadow of the frontline spinner of the team or the country. In the case of Herath, he has lived under the shadow of two spinners – Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis. However, at the moment, it seems as though the southpaw has finally got himself into the spotlight, although he wouldn’t care much about hogging the limelight.

In 2016, Sri Lanka has been at the receiving end of Test match results. Of course, they have been a team in transition, but the fact that they failed to put up a fight in England highlighted where Lankan cricket was at the moment. Before the start of the England tour, many had their doubts about this Sri Lankan side. Mindful of the fact that the Lankans had indeed clinched a win in the 2014 Test series, the likes of Sanath Jayasuriya and others attested their support for the Lankan side.

Also read – Top 10 Asian batsmen with highest averages outside Asia in Tests

However, in the eyes of many, and myself in particular, this was quite effectively the worst side to leave the shores of Lanka. A month in England and most fears came true. They were not just handed a defeat by England. They were thrashed out of sight and into the wilderness of the cricketing world, a place they were forcibly thrust into following the retirement of the likes of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene.

The first time the world ‘Old Dog’ was used alongside Rangana Herath during the second Test in the Riverside Ground at Chester-le-Street. The Brits might have been on the ascendency for the most part of the match, but, the presence of 38-year old Herath was something Alastair Cook simply did not count on. Made to follow on, Herath pulled the bunny out of the hat with a wonderful innings of 61. This knock, apart from the fact that it was a game changer as well as an important knock in the context of the match showcased something else entirely. Moreover, for the older folks who were watching, it seemed as though Sir Garfield Sobers himself had come out of retirement at the ripe old age of 79 to make a comeback to the sport that made him who he was at the time.

Hit the fast forward button. August 2016. This time, Sri Lanka was on the opposite end of the yardstick. This time, it was against the best Test team in the world. The Australians were not the greatest players of spin. Of course, the Aussies have boasted of some of the best players of spin in the incarnation of former skippers of the 70’s. Bill Lawry, Ian Redpath, the Chappell brothers, and the list goes on. These are some of the best players of spin the Aussies have ever produced.

However, in the context of the ongoing Sri Lanka tour, Steve Smith and his men looked all at sea against the spin. Gone were the days where Lillee and Thommo terrorized the batsmen with their pace. This time, it was Rangana Herath who was the brainchild of a majority of the Australian nightmares. It was just orthodox left-arm spin. Nothing special and not as much turn. However, the Aussies were not able to match up or even keep up with him.

Also check out – Twitter reaction: Rangana Herath & Co. skittle out Australia for their lowest score in Sri Lanka

Of course, Herath was receiving a lot of help from the wicket. However, the simplicity of his bowling was something that captured people’s imagination. The ‘New Tricks’ of Herath were certainly playing up. Day two of the second Test at Galle was perhaps somewhat of the coronation of ‘King Herath’. He had successfully taken over from Muralitharan as Sri Lanka’s premier spin bowler. At the age of 38, he became only the second Sri Lankan bowler to complete a Test match hat-trick. The most romantic thing of it was his celebration. He did not go overboard with his celebrations, and neither did he get back in the face of the Aussies.

The point of all of this leads to an interesting fact in simple cricketing terms. You do not need to have a swagger to play the game of cricket. Rangana Herath is certainly one of those players who does not come from the ‘Washbag Culture’ of the modern-day cricketers. He does not need the limelight and neither does he need the publicity that some cricketers do indeed receive.

He does not give interviews on things that do not concern the cricketing world. No. He does not need to be a socialite. The world has enough of those in the Kardashians and Hiltons of the world. He does not need fame. All he needs is his cricketing gear, the one thing that keeps him going, even at the ripe young age of 38. How long will he keep on going? We won’t know this immediately, but he will know for sure.

What does he do? He bowls. Why does he do it? He knows no other way. What does he do when he picks up a Test match hat-trick? He simply picks up the ball and gets ready to bowl again.

Also read – Stats: Players who have achieved the double of a century and a 5-wicket haul in the same Test