Sri Lanka's veteran seamer Chaminda Vaas said on Sunday he will retire from Test cricket after the ongoing Pakistan series, but will still play limited-overs internationals. “I am officially retiring from Test cricket after the third Test against Pakistan, but will continue playing one-day and Twenty20 matches till the 2011 World Cup,” the 35-year-old told reporters. The left-armer, however, declined to take questions, saying he would speak at the conclusion of the third Test which starts at the Sinhalese sports club here on Monday. The 110-Test veteran, who had been overlooked for the first two Tests, was drafted in for the final match despite Sri Lanka having taken a decisive 2-0 lead in the series. Vaas has claimed 354 wickets at an average of 29.40 since his Test debut against Pakistan at Kandy in 1994, with 12 five-wicket hauls, and twice took 10 wickets in a match. The left-hander, who also scored 3,085 Test runs, is only the third Sri Lankan cricketer after Sanath Jayasuriya and Muttiah Muralitharan to play more than 100 Tests. He has 400 wickets from 322 ODIs, including a hat trick off the first three balls of the match against Bangladesh during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara paid glowing tributes to the bowler who has served Sri Lanka with distinction for 15 years. “It is a sad day for Sri Lankan cricket,” Sangakkara told reporters. “Vaasy is such a great player, one of the legends of the game. “He must have thought long and hard about it, talked to his family and also spoke to me and the other players and decided it was time to stop playing Test matches. “He stands out as a player. He has slogged year in and year out in conditions that are not ideal for seam bowling. “The team has huge respect for him. He leaves behind a benchmark and I hope he will inspire young fast bowlers in Sri Lanka to perform like him.” Sangakkara said the three things that stood out in Vaas were “fitness, strength and class.” Sri Lanka wary of ‘temperamental' Pakistan Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara is wary of a Pakistan comeback in the final Test of the series, acknowledging the visitors' capacity for sharp form turnarounds. Sri Lanka has an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three match series, with the final Test starting Monday. Pakistan will be both trying to recoup some pride with a win, and to gain some momentum heading into the upcoming one-day series. “Pakistan has always been temperamental as a side,” Sangakkara said Sunday. “That's what the greatest dangers about them. We don't know what to expect when we walk out on to the field. “The thought always at the back of our heads is that ‘these guys are such a great side, just watch out, one of these days they are going to come back and come back hard at you.”' “We've just got to be ready and if that happens we absorb the pressure.” Pakistan lost the first two Tests after being in winning positions but collapsing dramatically. “Our mental status is simple,” Pakistan captain Younus Khan said. “Everybody wants to win, everybody knows that if we play to our potential we deliver all the time.”
