Chaminda Vaas...

[morgieb]

...has retired from test cricket.

Tributes here. Without a doubt the greatest Sri Lankan seamer to have existed.

 

[chaminda_00]

Disappointing he couldn't go out on his own terms. But he did have a great career for Sri Lanka. Hopefully his career ends in better circumstances in the shorter form, where he excelled more.

 

[SJS]

Disappointing he couldn't go out on his own terms. .

You cant do it three years after your last "use-by" date.

 

[Jakester1288]

A great player, congrats on a good career.

 

[Migara]

You cant do it three years after your last "use-by" date.

17 matches, 48 wickets at 30.7 is certainly not last use by date. During that time following players averaged like this.
Umar Gul 29.7, SCJ Broad 39.7, Edwards 35.6, Flintoff 38.0, Johnson 29.1, Z. Khan 30.4, Sidebottom 26.7 Add to that average of 36.7 with the bat. That is solid all rounder performance

 

[Prince EWS]

17 matches, 48 wickets at 30.7 is certainly not last use by date. During that time following players averaged like this.
Umar Gul 29.7, SCJ Broad 39.7, Edwards 35.6, Flintoff 38.0, Johnson 29.1, Z. Khan 30.4, Sidebottom 26.7 Add to that average of 36.7 with the bat. That is solid all rounder performance

Yeah, I think Vaas's value has been under-rated in recent times - he's looked inceasingly more toothless with the ball but his batting has improved out of sight. I've seen Sri Lanka pick specialist batsman I'd have Vaas in front of in the last few years and it's not like he's completely useless with the ball even now, as those stats show.

I suppose with Mathews doing so ridiculously well domestically and showing a bit of his talent, picking Vaas as an allrounder would be, as they say in Australia, "a prick in the arsehole of progress" to an extent but I still feel as if the whole "Vaas is useless these days" thing is short-sighted if not just plain wrong.

 

[Burgey]

Kudos to him on a fine career, and on seeming to be a quality fella.

 

[Nishan]

Fine player, his performances on unhelpul pitches is legendary. All round good guy, glue of the side for more than a decade. Hope he gets a fine farewell.

 

[SJS]

17 matches, 48 wickets at 30.7 is certainly not last use by date. During that time following players averaged like this.
Umar Gul 29.7, SCJ Broad 39.7, Edwards 35.6, Flintoff 38.0, Johnson 29.1, Z. Khan 30.4, Sidebottom 26.7 Add to that average of 36.7 with the bat. That is solid all rounder performance

I am afraid you misunderstand completely. When I say useby date of Chaminda Vaas, I mean Chaminda Vaas. It does not matte how other bowler's perform in the world. I never claimed that every bowler in the world performed better than him.

I also understand the reasons why Sri Lanka kept playing him. They just kept hoping he would deliver something to keep going until better youngsters appeared on the horizon.

I was just referring to Vaas's being reduced to a much lesser player than he has been in his long and illustrious career and that was clear to anyone who saw him bowling (and I was only talking of his bowling which has always been his major role) could see.

When a world class bowler starts declining, he doesn't disintegrate. I like the name of Fingleton's autobiography "Batting From Memory" and use it here although he meant it in another sense. A top class player will still perform off and on because he hasn't just forgotten all those great skills he possessed all his playing career. Its just that the body does not co-operate and the performance become more and more laboured and more and more infrequent. And when those that once dominated the arenas of their battles, struggle, its always a sad sight. It was the same with Kapil when he was struggling to catch up with Hadlee's tally of wickets and it was the same with Vaas. That's all.

Here is what Vaas did during the last three years (starting from summer of 2006 and for three years before that. I exclude Bangladesh (and Zimbabwe) from both sets of figures for its clear that even with a body on the decline Vaas was too good for the minnows of the world and to add those figures just dilutes the argument.

[B]Time Frame       O	 M	 R	 W	 5w	 10w	 Avg	 S/R[/B]

Last 3 Years	504.2	98	1489	41	1	0	[COLOR="DarkRed"]36.3	73.8[/COLOR]
3 Yrs before 	658.1	162	1767	75	4	0	23.6	52.6

Another clueless poster.
.

I have been called a few things but thats an absolute first.

Thank you

 

[SJS]

The removal of performance against minnows(something I prefer doing in most comparisons) is most relevant in such a case. When a top class player declines, the effect is not that obvious when opposed to those far below his own standards. Conversely, it becomes most apparent when he is playing against the best opponents. For example, if you take Vaas'sbowling figures against the three best batting Test sides in the world during this period, viz. Australia, South Africa and India the decline for the same period becomes even more glaring. Have a look.

Vaas against the top three batting sides (AUS/SAF/IND).

[B]Time Frame	 O	 M	 R	 W	 5w	 10w	 Avg	 S/R[/B]

Last 3 Years	124	21	446	7	0	0	[COLOR="DarkRed"][B]63.7	106.3[/B][/COLOR]
Earlier 3 years	326.5	84	884	34	2	0	26.0	57.6

 

[Matt79]

Kudos to Joe. Absolutely wonderful player and ambassador for the game - severely underrated for much of it. At his peak, was one of the best bowlers in the world, and his partnership with Murali helped SL cricket to new heights.

As a founding member of the CVAAS (Chaminda Vaas Admiration and Appreciation Society) on CW, it's a sad day, although would think its certainly time for him to call it a day.

He deserves a decent length of avatar tribute, although honestly, if the slim chance Australia has tonight at Lords comes off, it will be replaced very shortly.

 

[Matt79]

lol at DingDong

 

[straw man]

Always was a big fan of Vaas. Great bowling action, had all the tricks, decent batsman, wore zinc on the the nose and had the longest name I have ever seen - how could you not like him?

 

[Mahindinho]

Always was a big fan of Vaas. Great bowling action, had all the tricks, decent batsman, wore zinc on the the nose and had the longest name I have ever seen - how could you not like him?

What he said ^^^

Awesome bowler. I'll never forget the time I was slightly late to Headingley for an ODI. Having missed the first four overs of England's innings, on a baking hot day, the scoreboard read 2/0, Vaas having bowled two maidens (I caught the highlights later -- they were brilliant).

Of course, England went on to make a whopping 321/7 and I was considerably less happy. No 5-0 whitewash then. Fortunately, Sanath had other plans...

 

[The Sean]

One of my favourite players of the modern era and seemingly a first rate bloke as well. Congratulations to the man on a great career.

 

[Beleg]

terrific player. always fancied his chances when he was playing the pakis

it was a pleasure watching him bowl and his tenacity in the lower order saved the lankan arse on numerous occasions

 

[BoyBrumby]

Possibly the finest named man ever to play test cricket is Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushantha Joseph Chaminda Vaas, as his mum probably still calls him.

Great career and a lovely, grooved action to watch. Struck me as an old-fashioned English type of seamer, no huge pace but very accurate and could nibble the ball around off the seam and through the air if conditions allowed.

 

[Richard]

Possibly my favourite bowler ever. It's probably best for him to retire from Test cricket now as he's not disgraced himself in recent years but is getting on and can't go on forever. A bit of a shame he'd had to be omitted from a party rather than pulling his own curtain down, but you can't win 'em all.

Will remember him well as being as good as any bowler will ever be when all was going well - he had absolutely every weapon a bowler could wish for, except for extreme height. Sadly he could also be completely devoid of potency (as any number of series' where he averaged 100 or so attest to) but being possibly my favourite bowler ever I'm naturally inclined to remember the times he was omnipotent

As for being the greatest Sri Lankan seamer to have existed, well, I don't know their pre-Test history well enough to know the truths or untruths of that, but if anyone seriously contends he's not the best of their Test era, they don't know what they're on about.

 

[aussie]

Is Vaas still better than McGrath Richard? haaa

 

[Richard]

I never made such a contention and those interested in reading what was written rather than what they'd like to have been written realised and realise that. What I said - and yes, maintain - is that Vaas's bowling repetoire was more fulsome than McGrath's, and this meant that when Vaas was on-song - which was generally about half the time - he was better than an on-song McGrath.

In short, Vaas' best > McGrath's best, even though McGrath overall >>>>>> Vaas.