Is the warrior ready for curtains?

Sports

It was many moons ago. One bright sunny day while doing my daily rounds and watching an inter-school cricket match another veteran journalist of yore– the late R. Linden Fernando walked up to me and began to chat.

While engaged in our discussion he asked me “Did, you happen to see that young fast bowler turning up for St. Joseph’s? I think the name is some Vaas and he looks very promising.” Being the inquisitive busybody, I redirected myself to Darley Road and waited until the Josephians began to bowl.
This may be a good two decades ago, but, I still remember my first encounter with fast bowler Chaminda Vaas. Still in his early teens the slightly built fast medium bowler was not a tearaway jaw breaking monster, but he definitely had something going for him – especially the one that he pitched just short. In short this young lad impressed me. So much so a few seasons later Vaas had developed into a fine young bowler and I became a very keen admirer of his. But, my views on Vaas at the schoolboy selections did not go in favour with the selecting umpire’s panel, but, the very next phase of Sri Lanka’s Test cricket amply proved that my intuition was correct.

Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas always was Sri Lanka cricket’s unsung hero. Though he played the game at international level for the past fifteen years, and has been one of the main contributors for the elevation of Sri Lanka cricket to its present day level. He has lived in the shadow of the cricketers who has captured the imagination of the cricket mad public. In batting a youngster may emulate Sanath Jayasuriya and in bowling it may be Muttiah Muralitharan, but, not Chaminda Vaas. But, bagging most of his 354 Test wickets on low and slow Lankan wickets which were prepared to suit the Wily Muralitharan is truly an unexplained phenomenon up to date.

Once during Sri Lanka’s cricket infancy, a sour Indian skipper Kapil Dev professed that Sri Lanka may never win a test match overseas. The prophesy stayed nearly for a decade with the ‘match starved’ Lankans, but it was Vaas who charged and out bowled New Zealand’s more experienced fast bowlers in green top conditions at Napier to give Sri Lanka their first win in an overseas Test, in 1994-95. That performance really infused the Lankans for greater deeds that followed them like the all conquering Mogul army. Almost a year later Sri Lanka had become the third Asian country to win the Cricket World Cup and Vaas was the number one seamer in the Lankan line-up.

Getting that early break-through which is a vital ingredient in a winning combination was Vaas’ specialty. More often than not he obliged his captain with this prize scalp.

To Vaas it became a habit. On his way to take the first-ever ODI eight wicket haul against Zimbabwe, Vaas had a hat-trick. Then at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa Vaas took three wickets in the first three balls that he bowled in their match against Bangladesh.

Prior to that Vaas became only the second new ball bowler in the sub-continent to bag fourteen wickets in a Test match and equal the record held by the Pakistani bowling legend Imran Khan, when he did it against the West Indies in 2002.In that series Chaminda Vaas bagged 26 wickets thus helping Sri Lanka to drub them 3-0.

With 354 Test wickets and 400 One-day International wickets Vaas is by far the most successful fast bowler Sri Lanka has ever produced. At the same time he also has formed the nucleus for the success that Muttiah Muralitharan once again the most successful bowler in the history of World Cricket has achieved. Just imagine this deadly duo has been responsible for the demise of 2029 international batsmen in both forms of the game.

At times I wonder without Vaas maturing along the line and forming that compatible duet would Muralitharan have been able to climb the heights that he has conquered today? It’s a known fact that for a bowler to succeed there should be another to block the flood gates at the other end.

Nevertheless reality is a fact that is hard to accept at times. Right now there is a section of the cricketing community who tend to think that Vaas has served his purpose in Sri Lanka cricket. However Vaas thinks otherwise. Speaking to the Sunday Musings a rather disgruntled Vaas said “I hope to be involved in international cricket till the World Cup that will be played in our part of the territory 2011. Yes, I am out of favour right now, but at some point I am sure that I can make a comeback into the national side once again. The moment that happens I hope to prove that my contribution to the game still can count.”
However Vaas indicated that he may not last very long in the longer version of the game.

During his 110/325 Test and ODI career, Vaas has not been the exact mug with the bat either. He is a man who could boast of a Test hundred and thirteen half centuries and an accumulated total of 5110 runs in both forms of the game.

In all probabilities he may have indicated to the men that matters about his intentions.

We at this end feel for this silent contributor to the national cause for the past one and half decades. If Vaas has made any indications about his retirement from Test cricket to the hierarchy they should heed to that fact as he is no ordinary trundler. At the same time in a team that can afford to carry four passengers in a T20 World Cup, but could not carry an old soldier, especially in the calibre of Chaminda Vaas before the curtain falls on him
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Vaas denies 'retirement' announcement by board

Sri Lanka bowler Chaminda Vaas has denied reports of his retirement from test cricket after his board said on Saturday the paceman had told selectors he was quitting the longer form of the game with immediate effect.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary Nishantha Ranatunga told Reuters that Vaas, a veteran of 110 tests, who has taken 354 wickets in a career spanning 15 years, informed selection chairman Ashantha de Mel of his decision earlier in the week.

However, Vaas responded to the news of his retirement by telling cricket website crinfo.com that he had not made "any such decision yet".Earlier, Ranatunga explained Vaas's plans to focus solely on limited-overs cricket.

"Chaminda told him (De Mel) that he wanted to concentrate on ODI's (one-dayers) and T20's (Twenty20s) in the future and he would be forwarding an official letter to that effect when he returns from abroad," Ranatunga said.

"Sri Lanka Cricket's interim committee will also speak to him about his future and the role he can play in shaping Sri Lanka cricket in the future," he said, adding to speculation that he may be appointed Sri Lanka fast bowling coach in the future.

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara believes the 35-year-old Vaas still had a role in the limited-overs game.

"I had a very good one-on-one chat with him (Vaas) before we went for the World Twenty20," Sanagakkara said on the eve of the match."He has still got a role to play in our side. We just have to decide which format of the game he is going to make the most contribution in." -Reuters

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