5 longest-serving cricketers still playing the game today

While there are many talented cricketers who briefly dazzle at the highest level, it is the players who manage to do so for a prolonged period of time that separate themselves from the rest and establish themselves as all-time greats of the game. However, enjoying a long and illustrious career has almost become impossible in modern-day cricket due to a variety of factors. Considering the amount of analysis that is done on the strengths and weaknesses of each and every player nowadays, it is increasingly difficult to sustain your form for any length of time. In addition, the amount of international cricket that is played means that even the fittest of players are not able to carry on for more than a decade or so as the schedule eventually takes a heavy toll on their body.      As of today, there are very few cricketers who made their debuts in the 1990s and are still actively involved as players.  Here’s a tribute to the 5 longest-serving active cricketers today:(Note: Even though the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Virender Sehwag have fallen out of favour with their respective national teams, they have been included as they have not yet retired from the game) 

#5 Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka)

(Test debut: vs Australia 1999, Galle)

Rangana Herath has enjoyed the responsibility of being Sri Lanka’s premier spinner ever since Muttiah Muralitharan’s retirement from Test cricket in 2010. A left-arm spinner relying on the use of subtle variations as much as prodigious spin, Herath made his Test debut way back in 1999, but he had to wait a very long time to establish himself at the highest level.

While he is extremely potent in subcontinent conditions, he has also enjoyed success in alien conditions where spinners have to work hard to achieve success. He played an integral part in Sri Lanka’s first ever Test win on South African soil, finishing up with match figures of 9 for 128 as the visitors romped to a resounding 208-run victory. 

He has also been a success in the shorter formats, with his devastating spell of 5 wickets for 3 runs in a must-win game against New Zealand in the 2014 World T20 being one of the best ever in T20 cricket history.

The 37-year-old has taken 262 wickets from 59 Tests till date and with him showing no signs of slowing down with age, it should only be a matter of time before he manages to join an elite list of bowlers who have taken 300+ wickets in Test cricket.