(UTV|COLOMBO) – Sri Lankan legendary fast bowler Lasith Malinga is all set to retire after playing the 1st match of the 3-match ODI series against Bangladesh, which starts on July 26. Team skipper Dimuth Karunaratne confirmed the same on Monday to reporters. All the 3 ODIs will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on July 26, 28 and 31.
Even though Malinga was named in the squad for the 3 games, Karunaratne said that the bowler had told him that he would only be playing the first match.
“He is going to play the first match. After that he is retiring. That’s what he said to me. I don’t know what he said for the selectors but for me he said he is playing only one match,” said Karunaratne.
Malinga is currently the 3rd highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket for Sri Lanka with 335 wickets in 219 innings with only Muttiah Muralitharan (523) and Chaminda Vaas (399) above him on the list.
Malinga also finished as the team’s highest wicket-taker during the recently concluded World Cup 2019 where he took 13 scalps in 7 innings. Malinga is also the only bowler to have taken 2 World Cup hat-tricks (2007 vs South Africa, 2011 vs Kenya). He had already retired from Test in 2011.
Since his 2004 debut against United Arab Emirates, Malinga has played 225 ODIs and his unusual slingy action and an ability to bowl yorkers have made him a formidable bowler in limited overs cricket.
Malinga’s 56 wickets from 29 matches put him third, behind Australian Glenn McGrath (71) and fellow Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan (68), in the list of most successful bowlers in the history of the World Cup.
The right-arm paceman, a sought-after player in Twenty20 leagues, has also played 30 tests though he quit the long format in 2011 after battling a nagging knee injury.
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