If there were an award for the “most consistent fast bowler” in the history of Sri Lankan cricket, it would definitely go to Chaminda Vaas. The left-arm seamer on Wednesday became the fourth bowler to take 400 wickets in One-Day Internationals after retired Pakistani pace duo Wasim Akram (502) and Waqar Younis (416), and compatriot Muttiah Muralitharan (479). Vaas, 34, achieved the feat during the fourth one-dayer against India here when he had Yuvraj Singh caught by skipper Mahela Jayawardene at short mid-wicket for no score. “Wasim was a very clever bowler. He was lethal and very good at outsmarting the batsmen. Waqar was entirely different. He bowled fast and used the yorker to good effect,” Vaas recently told “The Island” newspaper. “Murali has been an absolute champion and never loses his passion for the game. Soon he will go past Wasim's record as the highest wicket-taker in one-dayers and it will be difficult to surpass him.” Fast bowlers like to hunt in pairs, but Vaas has been mostly toiling alone since his one-day debut against India in 1994. It is a tribute to his consistency that he has rarely let his team down. Akram and Younis bowled in tandem, keeping pressure on batsmen from both the ends with their different styles. They were instrumental in making Pakistan a formidable bowling outfit in the 1990s and early 2000s. “There were a lot of guys who were more talented than me. My game was limited, but I worked harder. You have got to make the most of your talent and nothing comes easy,” said Vaas. “I have enjoyed my cricket thoroughly. No regrets whatsoever. There have been a few good performances along the way, but for me winning the (1996) World Cup remains the greatest achievement.” Sri Lanka was often called a two-bowler team because Vaas and off-spinner Muralitharan were the only proven match-winners. The pair kept defying the odds to set up many victories. Vaas may have just four hauls of five or more wickets in an innings in 322 One-Day Internationals, but is second to none when it comes to providing crucial breakthroughs with his ability to swing and seam the ball. His first five-wicket haul came against India at Sharjah in 2000. His victims included ace batsman Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj. India could never recover from the Vaas blows and was shot out for a meagre 54 chasing a 300-run target. The Sri Lankan's best came in 2001 against Zimbabwe in Colombo when he became the first bowler to grab eight wickets (8-19), including a hat trick. His figures remain the best in one-dayers. He was to claim one more hat trick, this time at the biggest stage. He stunned Bangladesh when he took three wickets with the first three balls of a match in the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Vaas may have shed some of his pace of late, but still retains variations to test the batsmen. On Wednesday captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni led India to its maiden one-day series triumph in Sri Lanka, winning the fourth ODI by 46 runs to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match series. Sri Lanka was once again let down by its top order batting and succumbed for 212 all out chasing India's score of 258. Only Sanath Jayasuriya with a quickfire 60 off 52 balls including eight fours and two sixes and a late bash by tailender Thilan Thushara who scored 40 off 29 balls with two sixes and two fours, prolonged the end. The spin of Harbhajan Singh (3-40) and Yuvraj Singh (2-53) accounted for the Sri Lankan wickets.
