Herath: Getting Younis cheaply was key

News

Cricket365
August 15, 2014

Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath has opined that the wicket of Younis Khan was the reason for his side's success in Colombo, with Sri Lanka reducing Pakistan to 244 for six at stumps on day two.

This left the visitors still 76 runs behind after bowling Sri Lanka out for 320 earlier in the day. Herath felt that Younis, out for 13, was the vital wicket, as he was caught off an inside edge onto his boot, which bounced up, and short leg Kaushal Silva parried it to Niroshan Dickwella.

Herath said: "Younis Khan's wicket was the turning point. If you take the Galle Test, he went onto score 170. That's why Pakistan managed to score over 400. The main run-getters are Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis.

"Getting their wickets gives us a big advantage in this Test."

Herath took five of the six Pakistan wickets to fall, adding to the efforts he produced in Galle, as Pakistan's players continued to struggle against him. He was pleased that he was finally getting rewards, at the age of 36.

He said: "It is a big achievement as a spinner. If you see the last five to six years, that's when I've taken over 200 wickets. At the start of my career I couldn't play for Sri Lanka, but I don't regret that.

"I am extremely happy to achieve this milestone at least late in my career. From the age of 30 until now, I have been able to take wickets. I'm always just thinking of how I can be of assistance to the team with my style of bowling."

He added: "I don't see any special reason for doing well against them. I stick to my basics, and against other countries also I do the same thing. But I realise that the Pakistanis are not playing very well against me. If you take the records it looks like they are weak against left-arm spinners."