A legend among fast bowlers, in the annals of Sri Lanka cricket history, left arm seamer Chaminda Vaas opted to bow out of Test cricket, after the third Test against Pakistan at the SSC grounds after a degree of contoversy.

Vaas was the main strike bowler of Lanka’s opening bowling attack, for close upon 15 years with much success. His opening spell provided the much needed breakthroughs at the initial stages of the game. He was caste in the same mould as the icon of Pakistan bowling, Wasim Akram. I need not point out his remarkable achievements with the cherry; they are far too many to focus in this article. The knowledgeable sports editor has spotlighted some of the milestones in his illustrious Test carrier in a nutshell, which appeared in the sports section of ‘The Island’ newspaper of 20 July 2009.

The silver lining in the wake of Vaas calling it a day far as Test cricket is concerned, is the 27-year-old slim and tall guy with the boyish smile, Nuwan Kulasekera who has proved his potential, already.

The right arm pacie got his act together in a fiery spell of bowling in the first Test match at the Galle International stadium and continued in the same vein in the second Test at the oval in Colombo against the Pakistanis in the three match series. His shear pace, subtle movement and prefect line and length, baffled the quality Pakistani batsmen. His four wicket haul in the second Test, won him his first Man of the Match award. His brilliant spell of bowling, contributed much to Sri Lanka’s triumph and led to seal the three match Test series in Lanka’s favour. Nuwan continued the good work, in the third Test at the SSC grounds, when he accounted for the wickets of the Pakistan vice captain M-ul-Haq and Umar Gul. He put the lid on top of his achievements with the ball when he claimed the prized wicket of Pakistan captain Younus Khan. His achievements might give an insight to the reader, of the great role he played in defeating Pakistan in a Test series, on home soil, after a long drought of over 25 years. Nuwan does not hail from an elite school from the city.

He hailes from the portals of Bandaranaike College Gampaha. His roots lie in softball cricket. He entered the big league, playing for Colts CC and Galle CC in the local premier competitions. He came to the limelight, in the domestic circuit in 2002-03, which opened the door for him, to find a berth in the National squad, in November the same year, for the ODI against England on home soil. His remarkable form with the ball in the 2008-09 season, where he had 47 wickets under his belt, found him a place in the sun, when he was elevated to the top rung in the ladder, in the ICC rankings. Nuwan has the potential to achieve greater heights, both in the playing fields of cricket at home and in the international arena.

All cricket fans at home wish you Nuwan all success for a bright future that lies ahead of you.