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Sa'adi Thawfeeq reporting from South Africa & Kenya

DURBAN, Wednesday , When Sri Lanka won the World Cup in 1996 it was their devastating batting and brilliant fielding that proved to be the decisive factors. In the current World Cup tournament in Africa, it is not so much their batting or fielding that has virtually guaranteed them a place in the Super Sixes, but their bowling, especially that of left-arm fast-medium bowler Chaminda Vaas.

Vaas has been in exceptional form ever since the tournament kicked off in the first week of February and he has enjoyed every bit of the South African summer.

So well is Vaas bowling that the ball he scalped West Indian batting maestro Brian Lara was such a peach of a delivery that the left-hander was forced to play it and edge the ball behind the wicket as it moved off the seam.

That big wicket was what Sri Lanka needed in their crucial Pool 'B' tie against West Indies which they eventually won by six runs even though there was some resistance from Shiv Chanderpaul and a brave effort from Ramnaresh Sarwan, who came back to resume his innings after being poleaxed by a Dilhara Fernando bouncer.

"I was bowling against the wind. But that particular delivery to Lara, the wind suddenly changed direction and was behind me, which made the ball move rather late," said Vaas describing the ball that dismissed the world's most destructive batsmen.

Of the 16 wickets he has taken in the tournament so far, Vaas relished Lara's wicket the most. With is exceptional bowling Vaas has ensured that Sri Lanka go into the next round of the competition, which would give him a further three matches to improve on his tally.

He has already taken over the position as the leading bowler in the tournament with 16 wickets from 6 matches, at an average of 9.87 and an economy rate of 3.14.

Vaas's bowling has been the key to Sri Lanka's success in the World Cup so far. Having started off wicketless against New Zealand , Vaas swept into the record books with a hat-trick off the first three balls of a match against Bangladesh where he finished with figures of 6 for 25 and has not looked back since. The breakdown of Vaas' bowling figures: 0/22 v New Zealand, 6/25 v Bangladesh, 3/15 v Canada, 3/41 v Kenya, 4/22 v West Indies, 0/33 v South Africa.

The secret of Vass' success is that he is bowling with a fine rhythm which has enabled him to get closer to the wicket and make the ball run across the batsmen committing him to play a stroke.

He also has the ability to reverse swing with the old ball as he proved on a docile SSC pitch last year when he scalped 17 West Indians in a Test match. When Vaas toured South Africa four months ago, he was hardly the success he is at the moment.

He struggled to get wickets both in the Tests (6 at 31.33) and one-day internationals (5 at 37.80). In Australia too he hardly had success taking only eight wickets (avg. 44.00) from 8 matches.

But on his return home, he worked with the Cricket Board's fast bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake on his line and rhythm and that seems to have worked wonders for him. Time and again Vaas has taken the limelight from Muralitharan, the other Sri Lankan match winner and the World Cup is proving to be one of those occasions.

Vaas' nearest rivals are fast bowlers Vasbert Drakes of West Indies who has also taken 16 wickets from six matches and Glenn McGrath of Australia, with 12 from six and, team mate Muralitharan with 12 from six. Unfortunately for Drakes, he will be heading home as West Indies failed to qualify for the Super Sixes.

Only one Sri Lankan bowler in past World Cups has taken more wickets than Vaas. Ashantha de Mel, a right-arm fast bowler finished with 17 wickets from 6 matches in the 1983 World Cup held in England, one less than the tournament's highest wicket-taker, Roger Binny of India.

Vaas is on line to pass De Mel's World Cup record for Sri Lanka and also the all-time World Cup high of 20 wickets held jointly by New Zealand fast bowler Geoff Allott and Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, both achieved in the last World Cup held in England in 1999.

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