Vaas' swansong at SSC

Sampath Bandara

Veteran left-arm fast medium bowler Chaminda Vaas announced his retirement from Test Cricket after the third and the final Test against Pakistan which begins today at the SSC grounds.

Vaas has the longest name in Test cricket history 'Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas' and bowled Sri Lanka to its first overseas victory by capturing 10 wickets against New Zealand in the first Test at Napier in March 1995.

In 2001-02 he took 26 wickets in the 3-0 rout of West Indies and became only the second fast bowler, after Imran Khan to take 14 wickets in a match in the sub-continent.

He was the first bowler to take eight wickets in an One Day International vs Zimbabwe to bundle them out for 38 runs in Colombo in December 2001 and took a hat-trick with the first three balls against Bangladesh in the 2003 World Cup.

Vaas' unique figures of 8 wickets for 19 runs vs Zimbabwe in Colombo in December 2001 was the best innings bowling analysis in ODI history.

He got seven wickets for 71 runs against West Indies at Colombo in 2001-02. His match bag of 14 wickets for 191 runs in the match was his best figures in Test cricket.

Chaminda Vaas made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1994 and has claimed 354 Test wickets in 110 matches in his colourful career with 12, five wicket hauls and two, ten wicket hauls. He scored 3,085 runs and made a century in his 97th Test match, it is his only Test century. Chaminda Vaas can be described as a gifted all rounder.

Chaminda Vaas is easily Sri Lanka's most successful bowler after Muttiah Muralitharan and he is the best fast-medium and new-ball bowler Sri Lanka ever had in Test cricket.

Chaminda Vaas needs a fitting farewell for his 15 years yeoman service for Sri Lanka cricket.