He’s no corpse with pads on, but Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath produced an impressive display in the Sydney Test on Saturday – just hours after being declared dead on social media.
Unlike “the corpse with pads”, the nickname cruelly given to former Australian opener Bill Lawry by a British journalist for his painfully slow scoring rate, Herath’s demise was spread through Twitter and Facebook.
The clearly unfounded rumours alleged Herath and champion Sri Lankan fast bowler Chaminda Vaas had been involved in a car crash in Sydney – with Vaas escaping with an injury.
Social networking site Twitter was awash with rumours of Herath’s death early on Friday morning, with users expressing their astonishment at the news and passing on their thoughts and prayers for Herath’s family.
But far from being in an accident of any sort, Herath was in fine form on Friday – proving himself to be Sri Lanka’s best chance of snaring their first victory on Australian soil with an impressive display.
Making the most of the increasingly spin-friendly conditions on offer in Sydney, Herath trapped free-hitting tailender Mitchell Starc lbw before rattling the stumps of Nathan Lyon to finish the innings with 4-95.
He looms as the biggest potential thorn in Australia’s side as the wicket continues to wear, with even more turn expected on days four and five.