Herath lead the SL bowling attack after Murali retired. At the same time, credit should be given to Murali in giving a steady platform for him to perform well and win matches for SL. Murali had being on 792 wickets at the start of his final test series and he had the three test matches vs India to get to the iconic landmark of 800 wickets. Sanga (then captain) and the selection committee had persuaded him to play the whole series but Murali said that if he is the best spin bowler in the world and can’t take 8 wickets in the first test match, that means he is not good enough but he believed that he can take those 8 wickets and promised that SL will win the match. Eventually SL did win and he took the 8 wickets. This truly shows what a champion bowler he is and the high standards that he set throughout his career. He even mentioned that he is impeding the chance to give an opportunity to another player, so it shows that he never played for his personal records. He wanted to leave SL cricket in safe hands. From there onwards, Herath took on Murali’s responsibility and performed fantastically well up until his retirement in late 2018. He ended up being the most successful left-arm spinner in the history of test cricket ❤
