Lankan legend Vaas opens cricket academy in Sharjah

Former Sri Lanka all-rounder Chaminda Vaas pledged to develop budding young cricketers from the UAE to attain international standards after inaugurating an academy named after him in Sharjah on Friday.

Vaas Victoria Cricket Academy (VCCA) situated behind the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium aims to attract children between the age of five and 19 mainly from the expatriate Asian community.

“This is something new but I always love challenges. Over the years what I learnt from cricket, I will do my best to help budding young cricketers develop into good cricketers,” said the former Sri Lanka pace spearhead has the rare distinction of being only one of four bowlers to reach the milestone of 400 ODI wickets.

“We are not focusing only on cricket. We will have an educational curriculum and strength training as well,” said Vaas who was Sri Lanka’s bowling coach until April.

“He will be based full-time here from January,” said Chaminda Vaas' elder brother Rukmal, who is technical consultant of VVCA.

A long-time resident of Dubai, Rukmal, 52, is an ICC Level 1 certified coach and has experience in several academies in UAE previously.

Level 1 coach of National Cricket Academy of India Manpreet Singh Sidhu and ICC Level 1 coaches Vinod Nayar and Satish Kumar will support Vaas’ academy. UAE World Cup player Krishna Chandran is also in the coaching team.

"Using high-level coaching standards and incorporating cricket technology, it is the perfect environment to learn the game of cricket from beginners right through to the highest standard of cricketers,” said Vaas, who also served as bowling consultant of New Zealand cricket team before his Sri Lankan job.

“Our efforts are not just directed towards bringing out the cricketer in them, but to bring out the human within them,” said Vaas in his opening remarks in front of a large gathering at the grand opening ceremony.

Vaas, 41, who joins another Sri Lanka legend Aravinda de Silva to set up an academy in the UAE, believes Dubai has the potential to become a hub to produce future cricketers.

“Vaas Victoria Cricket Academy brings an opportunity to this cricket-loving country packed with lot of unique opportunities,” said Vaas.

“The passion for cricket here (UAE) is a joy to behold and I have no doubt this nation will welcome our initiatives,” said Vaas who has enjoyed playing at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium when Sri Lanka toured here.

“The environment and opportunities in UAE is really promising and hence I find this place a grooming ground for future cricketers,” said Vaas, who made his first-class debut at the age of 16 in 1990 and went on to represent Sri Lanka four years later.

“I’m personally excited to be the head coach and to be with the budding cricketers. I really look forward to develop their skills to face international players,” said the Sri Lanka cricket legend who is one of four players to have taken two hat-tricks in ODIs, including a hat-trick with the first three balls against Bangladesh during the 2003 World Cup.

“Our academy will mainly focus on cricketers of age 5 to 19 but also will be accommodating special programme for corporates, senior cricketers and other segments,” declared Vaas who also played in the English county circuit for Middlesex, Northamptonshire and Worcestershire.

“I assure the students who groom up in this academy will be an asset to the nation and hope they will represent the team of this country,” said Vaas who captained Sri Lanka against Australia in an ODI at the WACA.

“Vaas Victoria Cricket Academy realises the importance of nourishing the new generation. We are committed to build a generation of cricketers,” said Vaas, who holds the record for the best figures in ODIs of 8-19, which he snared against Zimbabwe at SSC in 2001.

The academy will be having an annual event by the title ‘Play With Legends’.

This event will give a unique opportunity to the budding cricketers to ‘Play with Legends’.

“We will be lining-up international legendary cricketers in this event. There will be a year-long selection process and special training for about 256 participants. What we observed is that, even though there are good initiatives by various cricket academies and schools around the world, budding cricketers rarely get international exposure and opportunity to reproduce their talent in a competitive match or any such event,” said Sunil Mustafa, chairman of VCCA.

For further information about VCCA, mail: Victoria Sports Services, Al Shamsi Shopping Complex, Al Gurair Rolla, Sharjah, PO Box 78865 or telephone: 0559986464.

 

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