Herath is a specialist left-arm bowler for Sri Lanka and holds the record of best bowling figures in Test matches by a left-arm spinner with 433 wickets. On 11 March 2017, Herath surpassed 362 wickets by Daniel Vettori to become the most successful left-arm spinner in Test cricket history. He is the first left-arm spinner to take 400 Test wickets. On 10 February 2018 during Bangladesh tour, Herath became the most successful left-arm bowler in Test cricket history by surpassing Wasim Akram. He has the longest Test cricket career for Sri Lanka with a span of 19 years from 1999 to 2018.