Vaas denies he was forced to retire
Sunday, 26 July 2009
COLOMBO, Jul 25 (AFP): Sri Lanka's veteran seamer Chaminda Vaas insists his international career is not over despite retiring from Test cricket and finding himself dumped from the limited-overs game.
The left-armer (35) ended his Test career at the end of the three-match series against Pakistan Friday, saying he was still keen to play one-day and Twenty20 cricket till the 2011 World Cup.
The sele ctors, however, did not pick Vaas in the 15-man squad for the upcoming five-match one-day series against Pakistan starting in the central town of Dambulla on July 30.
"I will be back soon," Vaas said at a farewell media conference after his last Test, the 111th in a 15-year career in which he claimed 355 wickets at an average of 29.58.
"I have not played one-day cricket for 11 months and during that time all the young fast bowlers have played very well and grabbed the opportunities with both hands.
"I am going to work hard to fight for my place."
Vaas rubbished media speculation that he was forced to retire from Test cricket after being overlooked for the first two matches against Pakistan and only included for the third after a deal with the selectors.
"No one forced me to retire," he said. "I am thankful that I got the opportunity to play in my last Test.
"This is the best time to retire from Test cricket and concentrate on one-dayers and Twenty20s because the young fast bowlers who are emerging are doing pretty well."
Vaas, who also scored 3,085 Test runs, is only the third Sri Lankan cricketer after Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan to play more than 100 Tests.
The left-armer (35) ended his Test career at the end of the three-match series against Pakistan Friday, saying he was still keen to play one-day and Twenty20 cricket till the 2011 World Cup.
The sele ctors, however, did not pick Vaas in the 15-man squad for the upcoming five-match one-day series against Pakistan starting in the central town of Dambulla on July 30.
"I will be back soon," Vaas said at a farewell media conference after his last Test, the 111th in a 15-year career in which he claimed 355 wickets at an average of 29.58.
"I have not played one-day cricket for 11 months and during that time all the young fast bowlers have played very well and grabbed the opportunities with both hands.
"I am going to work hard to fight for my place."
Vaas rubbished media speculation that he was forced to retire from Test cricket after being overlooked for the first two matches against Pakistan and only included for the third after a deal with the selectors.
"No one forced me to retire," he said. "I am thankful that I got the opportunity to play in my last Test.
"This is the best time to retire from Test cricket and concentrate on one-dayers and Twenty20s because the young fast bowlers who are emerging are doing pretty well."
Vaas, who also scored 3,085 Test runs, is only the third Sri Lankan cricketer after Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan to play more than 100 Tests.