Bat’s a shame for Herath
SRI LANKA spinner Rangana Herath saw his day of personal triumph wrecked by another abject batting performance from his team-mates.
Herath, the left-armer who has taken over his side’s slow bowling mantle after Muttiah Muralitheran’s retirement, claimed the 300th wicket of his Test career when tailender Steven Finn was caught and bowled. But two dropped catches – Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes could have fallen cheaply – cost the tourists as England posted a daunting 498-9 declared.
Herath, 38, admits he isn’t sure if his team-mates have the fight to even make the home side bat again, with England close to an unassailable 2-0 lead in the threematch Investec series. He said: “The game went away from us when we dropped those two catches.
“We need to bat very well from here. We need to show better technique and more patience.
“But I really don’t know if we can make England bat again.
“The batting, bowling and fielding hasn’t been good enough and we have to learn how to play in the conditions we find in England.”