Chaminda Vaas turns 52 (Photo-GETTY IMAGES)
Chaminda Vaas: New ball in hand, swing inwards and the batsman’s work is all done. A bowler who did such work repeatedly in his two decade long career. The player who made the world’s greatest players his victims. Even Sachin Tendulkar, who is called the God of Cricket, could not escape the havoc of this bowler. We are talking about Chaminda Vaas who is celebrating her 52nd birthday today. Born on January 27, 1974 in Matumagala, Sri Lanka, Vaas accomplished many amazing feats in his career. He bowled wreaking havoc in many Test series from the World Cup, but the amazing thing is that this player never wanted to become a cricketer. Let us tell you interesting things about his career.
The name of Chaminda Vaas is unique
Chaminda Vaas was born in a Catholic family. He was very religious since childhood. Vaas wanted to serve the church by becoming a priest. He had said in an interview that before becoming a cricketer, his dream was always to serve in the church. Even after becoming a cricketer, his calm and disciplined nature continued to make everyone his admirer.
The name of Vaas is quite big
You will be surprised to know that this is not the full name of Chaminda Vaas. It is very difficult to remember the name of this left arm fast bowler, because it is quite long. The full name of Chaminda Vaas is- Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas.
Unmatched record against Sachin
Sachin was considered the master of swing. Their speed is 130 to 140 km. It was per hour and he used to take the ball both inside and outside with one tappa. This is the reason why even a legendary player like Sachin Tendulkar looked troubled in front of him. Sachin Tendulkar was dismissed by Chaminda Vaas 12 times in his career. He dismissed Sachin 9 times in Tests and 3 times in ODIs.
Chaminda Vaas’ career
Chaminda Vaas took 355 Test and 400 ODI wickets in her career. In T20 International, he took 6 wickets in 6 matches and the amazing thing is that his economy rate in this format was only 5.8 runs per over. Vaas has taken 772 wickets in first class cricket. He has 506 wickets in his name in List A. He has 64 wickets in his name in T20.
Contribution to coaching
Chaminda Vaas also tried her hand in coaching after retirement. This player coached New Zealand in 2012 and then became the bowling coach of Sri Lanka. Vaas is also considered to have contributed to the success of Lasith Malinga.