THE KING OF SWING CHAMINDA VASS

Full name Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas
Born January 27, 1974, Mattumagala
Current age 34 years 206 days
Major teams Sri Lanka, Asia XI, Basnahira North, Colts Cricket Club, Deccan Chargers, Hampshire, Middlesex, Worcestershire
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Left-arm fast-medium

Test debut Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Kandy, Aug 26-28, 1994
Last Test Sri Lanka v India at Colombo (PSS), Aug 8-11, 2008
ODI debut India v Sri Lanka at Rajkot, Feb 15, 1994
Last ODI Sri Lanka v India at Dambulla, Aug 18, 2008
Profile

Chaminda Vaas is easily the most penetrative and successful new-ball bowler Sri Lanka have had, and he has served his country well. He swings and seams the ball with skill, his trademark delivery being the late indipper. However, he also bowls a carefully disguised offcutter, and has recently added reverse-swing to his armoury, a skill that has made him a consistent wicket-taker even on bland subcontinental pitches. He outbowled New Zealand's seamers in green conditions at Napier to give Sri Lanka their first win in an overseas Test, in 1994-95. In 2001-02 he made a quantum leap, taking 26 wickets in the 3-0 rout of West Indies, becoming only the second fast bowler, after Imran Khan, to take 14 wickets in a match in the subcontinent.
He then went on to take the first-ever ODI eight-for, against Zimbabwe, which included a hat-trick. He also claimed a hat-trick with the first three balls of the match against Bangladesh in the 2003 World Cup. Vaas reached the 300-wicket milestone in Tests against India in 2005-06, having passed the mark in ODIs on the tour to Zimbabwe. In 2004 he also gained overdue recognition for his talent when he was selected for the World XI at the inaugural ICC Awards. Vaas is easily Sri Lanka's second-most successful bowler - after Muttiah Muralitharan - in both forms of the game. His approach to his batting is equally sincere and in recent years he has gradually gained recognition as a useful allrounder. He waited 97 Tests for his maiden century, against Bangladesh, and soon after, became the third Sri Lankan to play 100 Tests or more.