Chaminda Vaas makes a comeback to Sri Lanka’s Coaching Staff

Former Sri Lankan seam bowler Chaminda Vaas has been reappointed as the bowling coach of the Sri Lankan men’s cricket team. Vaas will join the coaching staff only four months after the Sri Lankan board refused to renew his contract in December 2021.

WPUJC Vaas has a long name and longer career serving his nation as a bowler and as a coach. He debuted in 1994 for Sri Lanka and went on to play for 15 glorious years, during which he picked up 761 international wickets. For the last ten years, Vaas has been on and off as the head bowling coach of the Sri Lankan men’s national team.

Sri Lanka’s new head coach Chris Silverwood will also have the assistance of a newly appointed assistant coach, Naveed Nawaz. Nawaz has played a solitary test and three ODIs for Sri Lanka. He has scored 6892 runs at an average of 36.27 in first-class cricket.

Nawaz has a successful record of coaching Bangladesh’s youth side. Players like Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Shoriful Islam, and Shamim Hossain have all been trained under Nawaz’s coaching and are now playing for the Bangladesh men’s senior side.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has also appointed Piyal Wijetunge as the spin bowling coach, while Manoj Abeywickrama will give his services as the fielding coach.

After the retirement of key players like Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, and Tilakaratne Dilshan, Sri Lankan cricket has struggled on the international stage.

They are currently 7th in test rankings, 8th in ODI rankings, and 10th in T20 rankings. Will this new coaching staff manage to bring back Sri Lanka’s lost glory days? Only time will tell.