3) Rangana Herath
After Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement from international cricket, a big void was left to be filled in the Sri Lankan bowling line-up. Rangana Herath eased into this gap and bolstered the attack with his left-arm tweakers. More than unplayable deliveries, his consistency with his line and length is what reaped him rewards.
Herath’s best performance in Lankan clothes came in a home match against Pakistan at Colombo. After Sri Lanka posted 320 in their first innings, Herath ran through the batting line-up of Pakistan grabbing 9 wickets for 127 runs, in what was a spectacular effort from the spinner.
He has proved his ability to perform overseas as well, with a best of 9/128 against South Africa in an away tour which was also pivotal in Lanka winning their one and only game in South Africa. Before retiring from the longest format, he had picked up a staggering 433 wickets that included 34 five-wicket hauls.
