Chaminda Vaas, still just 29, has held together Sri Lanka’s fast bowling forthe last decade

CricInfo15-Feb-2003As Percy Abeysekera, Sri Lanka’s colourful flag bearer, would say: “Vaas,you’re class!”Chaminda Vaas, still just 29, has held together Sri Lanka’s fast bowling forthe last decade.© CricInfoMurali might grab the lion’s share of the limelight but Vaas is an equallyimportant cog in the Sri Lanka attack.Indeed, Murali would surely not have claimed as many as 309 one-day victimshad it not been for the probing accuracy and skill of Sri Lanka’s finest newball bowler.Vaas’s job is to nip out a top order wicket or two and then build up thepressure, forcing the opposition to take liberties against the Sri Lankaspin king.The vastly experienced pair, who have taken 570 one-day wickets betweenthem, feed of each other and when both are on song Sri Lanka become aformidable outfit.”I had been bowling well in the past couple of months and I am very happythe way I bowled today. I was not going for any records or anything but myjob was to take wickets which I did to help my country win. I am happy tohave played a part.”
(Chaminda Vaas)Yesterday, against a hapless Bangladesh side so well groomed in the art oflosing, Vaas enjoyed a well-deserved day in the sunshine.If any bowler in international cricket was to claim a hat-trick with thefirst three deliveries of the match then it was Vaas.Whilst some pace bowlers settle for a loosener, Vaas always strives for awicket first ball, hoping to strike before the opening batsman has had achance to settle.Hannan Sarkar was a case in point: his ugly smear across the line of awell-pitched inswinger smacked of nerves.© ReutersSecond ball and Vaas was already experimenting. Teenage prodigy MohammadAshraful looked balefully at the pitch after being caught and bowled but hewould have been better served to watch Vaas’s broken wrist at the point ofdelivery.Vaas admitted afterwards that the fall of the third wicket did not runaccording to the script – he was trying another indipper – but for ahat-trick ball it was bang on target.Having won an lbw appeal three balls later to leave Bangladesh 5/4, Vaas hadclaimed victory for his side in the space of six deliveries.He also claimed another world record, becoming the first bowler in one-daycricket to claim a hat-trick of the first three balls of a game.He was third bowler after Indian seamer Chetan Sharma (Nagpur, 1987) andPakistan spinner Saqlain Mushtaq (Oval, 1999) to claim a World Cuphat-trick.Afterwards, he was typically unassuming: “I had been bowling well in thepast couple of months and I am very happy the way I bowled today. I was notgoing for any records or anything but my job was to take wickets which I didto help my country win. I am happy to have played a part.””Both hat-tricks were more or less similar. But personally I would rate thisone higher because it is in a World Cup match.” (Sanath Jayasuriya)He rated his world record eight for 19 against Zimbabwe in Colombo, when healso claimed a hat-trick, as a better performance.His exploits helped fuel the growing feeling of well-being within the SriLanka camp as they prepare for tougher battles ahead.Key players – Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Murali and Vaas – arepeaking at just the right time and the mood is buoyant.