Rangana Herath shot to prominence against Australia in 1999 with a 'mystery' ball. An orthodox left-arm spinner who broke into the side after an impressive A tour to England, he deceived the Australians in the first few matches with a delivery that darted the other way.

After that series he has hovered on the fringes of the Test squad for a while, regularly playing for the A team, before being recalled for the third Test against Australia in Colombo. He didn't get a game on the tour to Australia, but in Pakistan in 2004-05, he showed plenty of signs of his talent - bowling slowly through the air, getting it to flight, grip and turn, he took 11 wickets in two Tests.

He was recalled to the Test squad for the tour of West Indies after nearly three years in the wilderness.He did little of note till the first Test against Pakistan in Galle in July 2009, turning in a Man-of-the-Match performance to hand Sri Lanka an improbable win. He is fast shaping into a potent partner for Muttiah Muralitharan.