Rampaging Rangana spins into history

Three-nil series win. Tick.

Player of the Match. Tick.

Player of the Series. Tick.

Sri Lanka's spin maestro Rangana Herath has done it again for his country as he spun the Australian batsmen into oblivion on the final day in Colombo to secure a comprehensive 163-run victory while sealing a memorable series sweep.

As has been the case for a majority of the past four weeks, the 38-year-old tweaker was utterly dominant on the final day of the series to capture 7-64 and skittle the tourists for 160 in the final innings.

The stocky veteran broke records, snagged career-bests and – most incredibly of all – did it all 'on one leg' in Colombo.

Muthiah who?

Herath's final wicket of the match approximately 25 minutes before the scheduled tea break – that of Nathan Lyon trapped in front lbw – handed him the superb match figures of 13-145 from 56.2 overs.

It handed the wily left-armer the second-best Test figures of his career and secured him the best-ever haul in a Test between these two nations – surpassing Mitchell Starc's 11-94 in Galle earlier this month.

The series stockpile of 28 scalps puts Herath level with the legendary Muthiah Muralidaran in terms of wickets taken in a Sri Lanka-Australia series, but the current spin spearhead operated at a better average (12.75 v 23.17), strike rate (31.0 v 44.8) and economy rate (2.46 v 3.10).

"To take 28 wickets against the world's number one ranked team is a massive thing," the quietly spoken Herath said after his final-day heroics.

"The most wickets I have taken in a series as well. Feels great."

Playing through pain

Arguably the most impressive factor in Herath's Colombo dominance was the way in which he pushed through pain to finish the job he helped start back in Pallekele.

The tail-ender was struck flush on the protective box from a rising delivery by Josh Hazlewood on Sunday afternoon to end his first innings on 33.

Clearly still inhibited by the injury when play resumed on day three, Herath was ultimately rewarded when the wickets started tumbling. And continued to tumble.

But it turns the injury was worse than first expected, as captain Angelo Mathews revealed in the post-match press conference.

"He was bowling off one leg," Mathews told the media throng at the SSC.

"He got hit while batting and then he had a groin strain. He couldn't run and jump.

"He was just landing the ball with one leg and it was unbelievable."

Yet another bag

With another big bag to his name, Herath moved into outright seventh on the list of players with the most five-wicket hauls in Test history.

He now sits behind Muralidaran (67), Shane Warne (37), Sir Richard Hadlee (36), Anil Kumble (35), Glenn McGrath (29) and Sir Ian Botham (27) on 26 Test innings with a haul of five wickets or more.

Narrowing it down to Tests between Australia and Sri Lanka, Herath's sixth five-wicket haul took him past all-time legends in Warne and Muralidaran – the players whose names adorn the trophy Sri Lanka have just claimed for the first time.

"He has taken 28 wickets in the series and one of the best I have seen," Mathews said in praise of his go-to man.

"The batsmen are having a nightmare facing him no matter how well they play spin.

"Credit should go to this man."

The key battle

It's customary for touring Australian paceman to publicly reveal their prime target leading into a Test campaign – this time around Starc singled out Mathews – but it's not so common for Sri Lankan spinners to do likewise.

No doubt if pressured, Herath would have offered up opposing skipper Steve Smith as the man integral to his side's hope of tasting success in the subcontinent.

And the Sri Lankan delivered the knockout blow time and again throughout the series to the tune of a head-to-head scoreline reading 5-79 off 31.3 overs going at each other.

Image Id: ~/media/50B43A7720914395B3EB88C83D2F431D Image Caption: Smith bowled by Herath on day five in Colombo // Getty

"He's a very tough character to face," Smith said in the aftermath of the series sweep.

"He's always at you, he's always at your stumps, he changes his pace beautifully and bowls from different parts of the crease, changes his angles up.

"You never really get a freebie off him or an easy boundary. You always have to work for your runs which is important as a left-arm finger spinner to the right-handed batsmen in particular.

"He is a terrific bowler in these conditions and he has had a magnificent series."

Herath's future

While still clearly at the top of his game, Herath remains unsure about just how long he can continue at the highest level.

"I haven't decide on anything," he said post-match.

"Let's take it tour by tour."