Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Herath on happy hunting ground for last hurrah against England

Rangana Herath, the most successful left-arm spinner in history, will be looking to bring down the curtain on his long and glittering Test career with some big name England scalps in Galle this week.

Sri Lanka's Herath, aged 40, has taken five-wicket hauls against all the Test nations during his 19-year career and he stands 10th on the all-time bowlers' list with 430 dismissals.


Picturesque Galle, which hosts the first match of the three-Test series beginning Tuesday, has always been a special venue for the spin warhorse.

He made his international debut at there against Australia in 1999, rejuvenated his career at the age of 31 by taking five wickets in Galle against Pakistan and, in 2016, claimed a hat-trick at the ground against the same nation.

Now Herath, the last active Test player to have made his debut in the 1990s, needs just one more scalp to reach 100 wickets at his favourite hunting ground.

While injuries have limited recent appearances, he will be making one last effort to join Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan (Galle, Kandy and SSC Colombo) and England paceman James Anderson (Lord's) as the only bowlers to register a century of Test victims on the same ground.

- Left-arm threat -

England, who will be without their retired opening stalwart Alistair Cook for the first time since March 2006, know they have to resist Herath's threat if they want to secure a winning start on their quest for an elusive away series win.

"I've watched little bits on YouTube and I just like everything about what he does, his action and how easy it looks," said England's left-arm spinner Jack Leach.

"The batter's mentality is to want to score boundaries so you have to be clever with that."

Leach, who made his debut for England against New Zealand in March but was then sidelined with a broken thumb, said he was learning from watching Herath.

"There's a lot of good things in there that are worth looking at for me and are definitely very helpful," Leach said.

The 27-year-old Leach bowled 13 tidy overs and took one wicket in his team's second warm-up match at the weekend, which was cut short by rain like many of England's games on this tour.

Joe Root's side will be desperate to rectify their dismal recent away record when the series begins.

England outplayed India 4-1 at home this year, but have won just once on their travels -- in South Africa almost three years ago -- since their famous 2012 victory in India.

Keaton Jennings is expected to open alongside Rory Burns, who is set for his Test debut as Cook's replacement.

With wicketkeeper-batsman Johnny Bairstow unlikely to be fit, Jos Buttler or uncapped Ben Foakes will be behind the stumps.

"I think there are (places to play for) definitely," England all-rounder Moeen Ali said, adding that the balance of the bowling attack would be crucial.

"Are we going to play three spinners? Two spinners? What seamers are going to play? Do you need pace or control? That's for the coach and captain to decide," he said.

Sri Lanka, led by Dinesh Chandimal, will be looking for redemption against England after losing the one-day series 3-1 and the lone Twenty20 international.

Squads

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Alika Dananjaya, Dhananjaya De Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Rangana Herath, Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Dilruvan Perera, Malinda Pushpakumara, Kusan Rajitha, Lakshan Sandakan, Roshen Silva, Kaushal Silva

England: Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Ben Foakes, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Keaton Jennings, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

More For You

Baiju Bhatt

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. (Photo: Getty Images)

Baiju Bhatt named among youngest billionaires in US by Forbes

INDIAN-AMERICAN entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of the commission-free trading platform Robinhood, has been named among the 10 youngest billionaires in the United States in the 2025 Forbes 400 list.

At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Forbes estimates his net worth at around USD 6–7 billion (£4.4–5.1 billion), primarily from his roughly 6 per cent ownership in Robinhood.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mandelson-Getty

Starmer dismissed Mandelson on Thursday after reading emails published by Bloomberg in which Mandelson defended Jeffrey Epstein following his 2008 conviction. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Minister says Mandelson should never have been appointed

A CABINET minister has said Peter Mandelson should not have been made UK ambassador to the US, as criticism mounted over prime minister Keir Starmer’s judgment in appointing him.

Douglas Alexander, the Scotland secretary, told the BBC that Mandelson’s appointment was seen as “high-risk, high-reward” but that newly revealed emails changed the situation.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

We are living faster than ever before

AMG

​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

Shiveena Haque

Finding romance today feels like trying to align stars in a night sky that refuses to stay still

When was the last time you stumbled into a conversation that made your heart skip? Or exchanged a sweet beginning to a love story - organically, without the buffer of screens, swipes, or curated profiles? In 2025, those moments feel rarer, swallowed up by the quickening pace of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
Comment: Mahmood’s rise exposes Britain’s diversity paradox

Shabana Mahmood, US homeland security secretary Kristi Noem, Canada’s public safety minister Gary Anandasangaree, Australia’s home affairs minister Tony Burke and New Zealand’s attorney general Judith Collins at the Five Eyes security alliance summit on Monday (8)

Comment: Mahmood’s rise exposes Britain’s diversity paradox

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer’s government is not working. That is the public verdict, one year in. So, he used his deputy Angela Rayner’s resignation to hit the reset button.

It signals a shift in his own theory of change. Starmer wanted his mission-led government to avoid frequent shuffles of his pack, so that ministers knew their briefs. Such a dramatic reshuffle shows that the prime minister has had enough of subject expertise for now, gambling instead that fresh eyes may bring bold new energy to intractable challenges on welfare and asylum.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nepal-unrest-Getty

Army personnel patrol outside Nepal's President House during a curfew imposed to restore law and order in Kathmandu on September 12, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Nepal searches for new leader after 51 killed in protests

Highlights:

  • Nepal’s president and army in talks to find an interim leader after deadly protests
  • At least 51 killed, the deadliest unrest since the end of the Maoist civil war
  • Curfew imposed in Kathmandu, army patrols continue
  • Gen Z protest leaders demand parliament’s dissolution

NEPAL’s president and army moved on Friday to find a consensus interim leader after anti-corruption protests forced the government out and parliament was set on fire.

Keep ReadingShow less