Cape Town - Having been cast initially in the shadow of all-time great Muttiah Muralitharan, it took a while for Rangana Herath to convince the Sri Lankan public, let alone the world, that he was a spinner worth taking seriously.
However, once the legendary “Murali” retired, the unassuming Herath has taken over the lead role with aplomb. Sixty wickets in 2012 at an average of 23.61 confirmed his status, but that did nothing to change his personality.
He still works in a bank even though he’s played 75 Test matches since his debut in 1999, and hasn’t altered anything in relation to his action, appearance or demeanour.
Herath remains a portly figure who ambles up to the crease without much fuss and simply brings his arm over through the simplest of motions.
On an island fascinated with slow bowlers who deliver doosras, teesras, chauthas or paanchwas, often with actions that earn the ire of the ICC’s regulation committee, Herath offers up no such mystique.
But within this simplicity lays Herath’s effectiveness.
As the batsman searches for the expected turn that should accompany a looping delivery, he is surprised by its sudden straightening which routinely thuds into the pads or crashes into the wickets.
It is a formula that has earned Herath 351 Test wickets and ensured he will loom as the major threat to South Africa’s chances of maintaining their recent upward curve in Test cricket, once the series gets under way on Boxing Day at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth.
The Proteas are well aware of Herath’s prowess. It was on the tourists’ last visit here that the left-arm spinner sent shock waves down the spines of the Proteas with a nine-wicket haul at Kingsmead. It propelled the islanders to their maiden Test win on South African soil.
The greater significance was that it also represented a changing of the guard with the victory also Sri Lanka’s first since Muralitharan had retired, 16 months earlier.
In this modern-age of international cricket, most 38-year-old’s are already comfortably positioned in the commentary box or developing their coaching careers, and not still slugging it out in the middle trying to win Test matches for their country.
Herath, though, is almost a throwback to a bygone era, and his old-fashioned style will certainly put the Proteas batting unit through the most rigorous of workouts over the summer.
A batsman he will encounter often is the enigmatic Quinton de Kock. And how quickly he can knock over South Africa’s wicketkeeper-batsman will have a huge bearing on the series.
The contrasts between the two could not be greater. For all of Herath’s almost boring nature, De Kock is the antithesis through his exciting and innovative style at the crease.
The attitude may be simple in “see ball, hit ball” but the execution is absolutely brilliant.
De Kock lights up the game when he walks to the crease due to his mindset of never wanting to be intimidated regardless of the match situation.
If he feels the time is right to waltz down the wicket and bash a spinner, the 24-year-old will think nothing of doing just that.
This bravery proved hugely successful on the recent tour of Australia, where De Kock was undoubtedly South Africa’s star performer with the bat.
He dominated Nathan Lyon Down Under, with the off-spinner at pains as to where to bowl to De Kock - who treated him with disdain from the moment he came on to bowl.
It is likely that De Kock will adopt a similar attitude against Herath, as he will not want the Sri Lankan veteran to settle into any form of rhythm.
Herath, though, will not meekly succumb like Lyon and be intimidated by De Kock’s aggression.
Instead he will view De Kock’s advances as a wicket-taking opportunity, and relish the challenge of having a young upstart trying to hit him out of the attack.
It will certainly make for intriguing cricket watching a master of his trade go head-to-head against the fearlessness of youth.