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| Chaminda Vaas | |
|---|---|
| Name | Chaminda Vaas |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Fullname | Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas |
| Birth date | 27 January 1974 |
| Birth place | Nittambuwa, Sri Lanka |
| Batting | Left-handed |
| Bowling | Left-arm fast-medium |
| Role | Bowler |
Chaminda Vaas Chaminda Vaas is a former Sri Lankan international cricketer and one of the leading left-arm fast-medium bowlers of his era, noted for accuracy, swing and control. He represented Sri Lanka national cricket team across Test, One Day International, and Twenty20 formats, and later transitioned into coaching and mentoring roles with several cricket organizations. Vaas played pivotal roles in major tournaments including the Cricket World Cup and bilateral series against teams such as Australia national cricket team, India national cricket team, and England cricket team.
Vaas was born in Nittambuwa, Colombo District, and developed through youth structures affiliated with St. Joseph's College, Colombo and regional clubs like Nondescripts Cricket Club and Sinhalese Sports Club. He emerged in domestic competitions including the Premier Trophy and represented provincial sides in the Inter-Provincial Tournament and limited-overs contests organized by Sri Lanka Cricket. During his domestic tenure he played alongside teammates from Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, and contemporaries such as Aravinda de Silva, Russell Arnold, Marvan Atapattu, fostering rivalries with visitors from Lancashire County Cricket Club, Sussex County Cricket Club, Derbyshire County Cricket Club during County Championship seasons. His domestic performances attracted attention from ESPNcricinfo commentators and selectors from the Asian Cricket Council.
Vaas debuted for the national side in formats overseen by the International Cricket Council and quickly became a fixture in squads for series against Pakistan national cricket team, South Africa national cricket team, New Zealand national cricket team, and Zimbabwe national cricket team. He featured in multiple editions of the Cricket World Cup including the 1999, 2003, and 2007 tournaments, and played in marquee bilateral tours such as Sri Lanka national cricket team tour of Australia, Sri Lanka national cricket team tour of England, and Sri Lanka national cricket team tour of India. In Tests he earned acclaim in venues like Lord's Cricket Ground, Eden Gardens, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Galle International Stadium, and Sinhalese Sports Club Ground for spells that drew praise from figures such as Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting, Michael Vaughan, Duncan Fletcher and match officials from the Marylebone Cricket Club. He contributed to series-deciding wins in contests like the Asian Test Championship and tri-series events alongside squads featuring Chamari Atapattu, Tillakaratne Dilshan, and Lasith Malinga.
Vaas bowled left-arm fast-medium with emphasis on seam and swing, combining disciplined line and length akin to predecessors and contemporaries like Wasim Akram, Curtly Ambrose, Glenn McGrath, Dale Steyn, Andy Roberts, and Allan Donald. His skillset included the ability to reverse swing the older ball, execute cutters on subcontinental pitches, and extract bounce on seaming tracks at venues such as P Sara Oval, Brabourne Stadium, and R Premadasa Stadium. As a lower-order left-handed batsman he produced useful contributions reminiscent of bowling all-rounders like Kapil Dev, Ian Botham, Jacques Kallis, Imran Khan, and Andrew Flintoff, including notable partnerships with wicketkeeper-batsmen such as Kumar Sangakkara and Romesh Kaluwitharana. Coaches and analysts from institutions like National Cricket Academy and commentators from Sky Sports and ABC Grandstand highlighted his preparation routines, biomechanics, and strategy against left- and right-handed batsmen including Justin Langer, Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar, Adam Gilchrist, and Inzamam-ul-Haq.
Vaas holds numerous records recorded by bodies such as the International Cricket Council and chronicled by Wisden Cricketers' Almanack and ESPNcricinfo. He achieved a rare hat-trick in a One Day International against Zimbabwe national cricket team and recorded one of the best figures in both ODI and Test innings, ranking among leading wicket-takers alongside Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Anil Kumble, Glenn McGrath, Curtly Ambrose, Chaminda Vaas notwithstanding the linking restrictions. He was named in squads for events like the ICC Champions Trophy and received honors including nominations in Wisden and recognition in Sri Lankan awards administered by Sri Lanka Cricket. Vaas led series wicket tallies in tours versus Bangladesh national cricket team, Ireland cricket team, and Afghanistan national cricket team and featured on statistical leaderboards maintained by the CricketArchive and HowSTAT! services. His performances in World Cups and bilateral ODI series placed him among top performers alongside Rangana Herath, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Sanath Jayasuriya, Aravinda de Silva, and Mahela Jayawardene.
After retirement he accepted coaching and advisory assignments with national associations and franchise teams, including roles linked to Sri Lanka national cricket team, Netherlands national cricket team, Derbyshire County Cricket Club, and T20 franchises in competitions like the Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, and Caribbean Premier League. He worked alongside coaches such as John Wright, Duncan Fletcher, Tom Moody, Andy Flower, and Matthew Mott, contributing to fast-bowling programs, youth academies, and high-performance units at facilities affiliated with Marylebone Cricket Club, Asian Cricket Council, and national boards. His post-playing career included media appearances on outlets like ESPN, Sky Sports, and BBC Sport and participation in charity matches supporting organizations such as UNICEF and events organized by Marylebone Cricket Club Foundation.
Category:Sri Lankan cricketers Category:Living people Category:1974 births