Chaminda Vaas on coaching, swing bowling and memories of the 1996 World Cup

Chaminda Vaas spoke to The Hindu during a visit to Hyderabad about his work as a coach and mentor, the state of fast bowling and recollections from Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup campaign; the interview was published August 12, 2026 06:36 am IST. He was in the city during a mentorship stint with the Palamuru Strikers in TG20.

A left-arm seamer known for control and subtle movement rather than raw pace, Vaas took 355 wickets in 111 Tests and 400 in 322 ODIs, becoming Sri Lanka’s most prolific fast bowler in both formats. He also scored more than 3,000 Test runs, including a century, and was the leading wicket-taker at the 2003 World Cup with 23 wickets. Now 52 and working as a coach and mentor, Vaas remains involved in franchise and developmental cricket around the world.

Describing his work with young players, Vaas said that players from the subcontinent can take time to mature but learn quickly when they do, and stressed the non-negotiables of discipline and fitness. “If you’re committed to becoming a cricketer, you have to sacrifice a lot — but if you commit to yourself, I’m sure you can succeed,” he told The Hindu. He added that commitment and personal sacrifice are prerequisites for success in the sport.

On modern training and workload, Vaas said he would not “argue with the science” behind contemporary methods but warned that the sheer volume of cricket played today can be excessive for some youngsters. He emphasised that fitness, proper rehab and the right diet are essential if players want longevity: “If you’re physically strong enough to support your mindset, that matters most.”

Addressing swing bowling, Vaas observed that after watching the last edition of the IPL, “most bowlers don’t swing the ball much anymore,” and described the current game as tilted in favour of batters. He nevertheless expressed confidence in swing bowling’s effectiveness if executed in the right areas: “But I’m confident that bowlers who focus on swing can still take plenty of wickets.”

On left-arm fast bowlers he said: “Left-armers are unique; they are a special breed,” adding that they “tend to do things the right way.” Asked whether a young left-armer should concentrate on swing or variations, Vaas reiterated his coaching maxim: “If you keep it simple, the game itself is simple.” He also advised consistency in line and length, noting: “The batter will come after you, but remember, you have six balls to his one chance.”

Recalling training alongside Muttiah Muralitharan, Vaas said it was “always very difficult for me to read him,” and referred to Murali’s persistence in practice: “Every time he practised, he’d bowl right until the end of the session.” On the 30th anniversary of the 1996 World Cup, Vaas said the team celebrated in Malaysia at an event organised by a Sri Lankan community group, that they “went as a team and had a really good time,” and that the campaign followed a difficult tour of Australia and the Motera incident before the tournament.

Vaas described the contrast between Test and one-day dressing-room life, saying a Test requires returning to the dressing room each morning and confronting the situation together, while one-day cricket also demands strong rapport and mutual support. He named Akila Dananjaya and Lasith Malinga among the players who kept dressing rooms lively and said he enjoyed working with them. Reflecting on his IPL stint with Deccan Chargers, he listed team-mates including Adam Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs, Andrew Symonds, Shahid Afridi, Rohit Sharma (who’s gone on to do wonders for Indian cricket), and VVS Laxman, and recalled: “We won the IPL title in 2009 in South Africa, playing as a true team.”

Vaas’s interview covered coaching philosophies, technical views on swing and workload management, and memories from Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup campaign; he was recently in Hyderabad for a mentorship stint with the Palamuru Strikers in TG20.