Sportskeeda Cricket Awards 2017: Top 10 Test bowlers of the year

Rangana Herath

Herath continued to lead Sri Lanka in the bowling department

In what was a mixed-bag year for Sri Lanka in whites, Herath was one of the few positives. The Lankans suffered series defeats to India and South Africa, but surprisingly found a way past Pakistan in the UAE, a series in which Herath really stepped up to the plate.

The veteran left-armer picked up 11 wickets in the first Test at Abu Dhabi to lead his side to a narrow 21-run victory. With Pakistan needing just 136 in the fourth innings for a win, the writing was on the wall for the visitors, but Herath decided he was not going down without a fight. Dismissing two top-order batsmen and then returning to clean up the tail, Herath ensured Pakistan fell 21 short in what was a stunning display of spin bowling.

He also ran riot in victories against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, but struggled against better opposition in South Africa and India.

The 39-year-old picked 52 wickets from 11 matches in total, at an average of 27.5.