Vaas number 5 in top 100 Test all-rounders | ICC rankings

Browsing through the ICC rankings today I came across the Top 100 LG ICC Test All- Rounders list.

Here is a man who is ranked number 5 in a list of the world's best all rounders.

Murali has always found wickets 'tailor made' to suit spinners, the batsman have the game and the rules heavily stacked in their favour; With little or no assistance from subcontinental pitches Chaminda Vaas has toiled tirelessly and worked hard to serve his nation and team. His story has largely gone untold.

The first time I came across Chaminda was at the Colts CC nets during the early 90's, I was attending cricket practices which were held by none other than Roy Dias. The story of a Sri Lankan cricketer is vastly different from other players around the world, I bumped into Vaas a few years later on the 154 bus! Prior to the 1996 world cup many Lankan cricketers had to resort to public transportation and it has been a struggle for most of them.

His accomplishments have not heralded front page interviews nor have any 'jenny's from the block' turned up at his door for a cover story. The majority of international journalist waste time and editorial space conducting interviews in English with blokes whose 1st language is not English and as a result many cricket enthusiasts outside Sri Lanka have never had the chance to understand the man's cunning wicket taking psyche or his humorous side.

The irony is that when Vaas performs it goes unnoticed but when he has a bad day everyone calls for his head and talk of retirement fill the air. Thats sub-continental gratitude for a man who stands at number 16 in the list of all time wicket takers and number 5 in the ICC all rounders rankings.