Chaminda Vaas is Sri Lanka’s new fast bowling coach

Sri Lanka’s cricket board appointed former Test player Chaminda Vaas as national fast bowling coach, replacing Australian David Sekar who resigned just before the West Indies tour, AFP reported.

Vaas, 47, is the most successful Sri Lankan fast bowler, taking 355 wickets in 111 Tests and 400 scalps in 322 one-day internationals.

He retired from Test cricket in 2009, a year after ending his ODI career.

The cricket board cited “personal reasons” for Sekar’s decision to quit the job that he undertook in December 2019 but the 54-year-old has not yet commented publicly.

His resignation came five days before Sri Lanka was set to leave for the West Indies for two Tests, three one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches.

The West Indies tour was postponed by over a week after Sri Lanka’s head coach Mickey Arthur and opening batsman Lahiru Thirimanne contracted coronavirus earlier this month.

Both will be joining the team, which is leaving on Tuesday, the board said.