Chaminda Vaas: News

In a Sri Lankan team that had Muttiah Muralitharan, it was almost impossible to believe that there was another bowler whom the batsmen feared as much. That was Chaminda Vaas, a left-handed medium pacer who became one of the greatest pacemen ever and the greatest fast bowler Sri Lanka ever produced. In 1990, he began his first-class career at the age of 16. With just 13 first-class matches under his belt, Vaas made his Test debut against Pakistan in 1994. He showed his match-winning DNA within the first year of his debut by leading Sri Lanka to their first away Test win in the 1993-94 series against New Zealand. Vaas never shied away from adding more variations to his already impressive arsenal. The late in-dipper, ability to swing in the flattest of tracks, reverse swing, off-cutters—he had it all. Vaas is the only bowler ever to take eight wickets in an ODI match. He is the youngest to take 300 ODI wickets. Although Vaas was known for his bowling, it will be criminal to disregard the 3,000-odd runs he made in Tests. When he retired in 2009, Vaas had 355 Test wickets and 400 ODI wickets to his name.