Rangana Herath betters Wasim Akram, becomes most successful left-arm Test bowler

Rangana Herath grabbed his 415th Test wicket when he dismissed Taijul islam to complete a 215-run win for Sri Lanka. In doing so, he surpassed Wasim Akram (414 wickets) and became the highest wicket-taking left-arm bowler.

Rangana Herath, the ‘wily’ left-arm spinner from Sri Lanka, has climbed yet another peak. And this time he has surpassed Pakistan’s ‘Sultan of Swing’ – Wasim Akram. (Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test - Full cricket score & highlights)

Rangana Herath (2nd L) celebrates with his teammates after the dismissal of Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim (R) during the third day of the second Test at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka. (AFP)

Herath grabbed his 415th Test wicket when he dismissed Taijul islam on the third day of the second Test in Dhaka on Saturday to complete a 215-run win for Sri Lanka. In doing so, he surpassed Wasim Akram (414 wickets) and became the highest wicket-taking left-arm bowler.

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Earlier, Herath had become the 14th bowler in Test cricket and fifth spinner behind his countryman Muttiah Muralitharan, Australia’s Shane Warne and Indian duo Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to reach the 400-wicket milestone. He was the first-left arm spinner to cross the mark.

After a dismal last few months, Sri Lanka appeared to have turned the tide by winning the recent tri-nation tournament with an emphatic 79-run victory against Bangladesh in the final one-dayer.

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Courtesy Saturday’s win in the second Test, they have now triumphed in the longest-format series too.

The long-serving Herath has been a major factor in changing Sri Lanka’s fortunes. Ahead of the two-Test series, Sri Lanka captain Chandimal had hailed the 39-year-old Herath, who became the most successful left-arm spinner in Test history after passing Daniel Vettori’s tally of 362 Test wickets last year.

“He is a wily old fox. He can do what he wants to do. He is a big asset in our team,” he said.

Herath has definitely met the expectations of his teammates, is not exceeded it.