Sri Lanka v India, 4th ODI, Colombo

I worked hard with my limited ability - Vaas

Cricinfo staff

August 28, 2008

	Chaminda Vaas: "My game was limited but I worked harder. Nothing comes easy to you, you have got to make the most of your talent" © AFP

Chaminda Vaas, who became the fourth bowler to reach 400 one-day wickets when he had Yuvraj Singh caught for a duck in the fourth ODI in Colombo, has said he was happy he had been able to make the most of his ability.

"There were a lot of guys more talented than me," Vaas told the Hindustan Times. "My game was limited but I worked harder. Nothing comes easy to you, you have got to make the most of your talent." After the first match of the series, Vaas needed one wicket to reach the milestone, however a hamstring injury forced him out of the second game and Tuesday's washout meant he had to wait a little longer to get to 400.

Waqar Younis, the former Pakistan fast bowler who took 416 wickets in ODIs, agreed that though Vaas had limited ability, he had made the most of it over time. "With slower deliveries, bowling different angles and taking the pace off the ball, he is an intelligent bowler," Waqar said.

"All the years of hard work you put in are for moments like this [reaching 400 wickets]. It's hard to explain in words how you feel. I am getting goose bumps watching Vaas get 400 so you can imagine what it must have felt like when I crossed the milestone."

Looking back on the last 14 years since he made his debut, Vaas said the most memorable moment was winning the World Cup in 1996. "As a youngster all I wanted was to play for Sri Lanka.," Vaas said. "I remember when I got my first call-up to the national team. It was one-dayer against India in Rajkot, I had just turned 20, and Arjuna [Ranatunga] gave me the new ball ahead of the others. Navjot Sidhu was my first wicket and that was after he had blasted a hundred."

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