Veteran SL pacer Chaminda Vaas might be having difficulty in finding a place in the national team but he is not ready to hang up his boots yet.

By Chandraboli Mitra

Speaking to espnstar.com, Vaas, who has been trying hard to get into the Sri Lankan ODI side for quite a while now, emphasised that there is a requirement of a quality fast bowler in the team.

"There is one spot that needs to be filled in the Sri Lankan team in both the Twenty20 as well as one-day internationals. The team requires three fast bowlers," Vaas said.

The 35-year-old, who retired from Test cricket in July 2009, after having played 111 Test matches, taking 355 wickets at an average of 29.58, had been Sri Lanka's pace spearhead for years.

Sri Lanka team has been struggling to find a replacement of Vaas in the Test arena but the veteran bowler simply wants to concentrate on the shorter versions of the game.

"I have enjoyed my long stint in Test cricket and now I want to have a good spell in one-dayers and Twenty20s," confessed the left arm paceman.

While, Vaas stressed that it is up to the selectors to take the call whether to include him in the national team or not, he said that he was ready to play in any format any time and Twenty20 World Cup is one tournament he is looking forward to.

"I am playing a lot of domestic matches and keeping myself fit and ready for the international cricket.

"But I cannot say anything on the selection. I think I can still contribute to Sri Lankan cricket and I am extremely keen to play in the national team and the Twenty20 World Cup would be no exception," said Vaas, who has played 322 one-dayers, claiming 400 wickets.

When asked about which format of the game he prefers, Vaas said, "I prefer playing all formats, as long as I am fit to play."

Meanwhile, Vaas, who is facing a tough competition from the current bunch of young pacers in the Lankan team, was all praise for them, but added that they lack consistency.

"The young pacers are extremely talented and are doing very well for the team at the moment. But they got to have the experience. Moreover, there is an area of concern that needs to be addressed - and that is consistency.

"None of them are consistent but I am sure the seniors players like Muttiah Muralitharan, Sanath Jayasuriya must be helping them out."

When asked to choose his favourite pacer from the current lot, Vaas simply refused to do so, saying, "I won't choose a particular bowler but I would say that both (Chanaka) Welegedara and (Nuwan) Kulasekara are very good. Even (Lasith) Malinga is a fine talent but is injured at the moment. However, I am sure that he would soon overcome his injury and come back with a bang."

It is certainly difficult to say whether Vaas would make a cut in the Sri Lankan team, consisting of young guns, who have cemented their place in the side, but the legend is leaving no stone unturned.

At present, he is playing for the Deccan Chargers in Hyderabad to prove his worth in the Twenty20 cricket.

"I am leading the Deccan Chargers in these practice matches and looking to give my 100 per cent in these games. I am hopeful that I can be a part of the Deccan Chargers main team during the third edition of the IPL tournament in March.

"I played a few matches for the Chargers earlier and had a great experience. I am looking forward to be a part of the excitement all over again," concluded Vaas.

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