Sri Lanka's Herath quits limited overs

Sri Lanka's strike spin bowler Rangana Herath has announced his retirement from limited overs matches to concentrate on Test cricket.

Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement on Sunday that the 38-year-old left-arm spin bowler made the decision to allow young talent to be groomed for the 2019 World Cup.

Herath had long been in the shadow of Muttiah Muralitharan, the world record holder for Test and one-day international wickets. But since Muralitharan's retirement, Herath had stepped up to become the country's match-winning spin bowler.

Considered initially a Test specialist, Herath was picked regularly for limited overs cricket in recent years and played a crucial part in Sri Lanka's World Twenty20 championship in 2014.

He has taken 74 wickets in 71 one-day internationals and 18 wickets in 17 Twenty20 internationals.

His best one-day bowling figures are four for 20 recorded against India in 2013. His five wickets for three runs helped Sri Lanka win against New Zealand in a World Twenty20 match, leading to their championship win in 2014.

Herath has taken 297 Test wickets so far in 67 matches.