Chaminda’s ‘Vast’ Experience A Boost For Northants Cricket

Northants have captured one of international cricket’s most experienced performers by signing Sri Lankan all-rounder Chaminda Vaas.

The vastly experienced left arm seamer and capable lower order batsman joins the club until the end of the Friends Provident t20 campaign and will arrive at the County Ground in time to make his debut in the next LV= County Championship match against Surrey.  

As Sri Lanka’s most successful seam bowler ever, Vaas has played in 111 Test Matches and 322 one-day internationals, taking over 750 International wickets in that distinguished career.

“We have secured the services of a world-class performer with enormous experience in all formats of the game,” declared Northants Cricket’s Head Coach David Capel in announcing the signing.

“This is a major boost to our hopes of success and Chaminda is with us through this vital phase of the season. Having spoken to him, I know he is very enthusiastic about coming here and is geared up for this opportunity.”

Most recently, Vaas was one of the star performers with the ball in the Indian Premier League where he achieved a remarkable economy rate of just 6.31 runs an over in his six games for the Deccan Chargers.

As well a haul of 355 Test wickets, his 400 One Day International victims included a remarkable 2003 World Cup where he was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament and achieved the unique feat of taking a hat-trick with the first three balls of the game against Bangladesh.

While Vaas is known primarily for his masterful control of line and length with his left arm seam, he is also a more than useful batsman with a century and thirteen fifties to his name in Test Match cricket.

Indeed, only eleven bowlers in Test Match history to have taken 200 wickets have scored more runs than him.

His presence in the Friends Provident t20 competition will certainly give the Steelbacks an experienced bowling attack as he lines up alongside former South African internationals Andrew Hall and Nicky Boje and Zimbabwe Captain Elton Chigumbura.