Lasith Malinga on His Retirement: “I’m tired now”

Sri Lanka‘s pace spearhead Lasith Malinga has given some hints about his international retirement after the ongoing ICC World Cup. Though it’s not decided yet, these could be the last few games which he plays for his country. He also hinted that he would love to play in front of his home crowd as well as wants to play in the T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to play in Australia next year.

“I have fought … I have fought. I am tired now too. I hope to play the Twenty20 World Cup. But I will go back to Sri Lanka after the World Cup and discuss it with the SLC. I will show them what my vision is. If they match my vision, I will stay, or I will quit the international arena soon. After the World Cup, I would love to play a match in Sri Lanka and say goodbye,” veteran Lasith Malinga was quoted as saying by BBC Sinhala service.

After the ICC World Cup, Bangladesh and New Zealand will tour to Sri Lanka and the experienced pacer hinted that those series could be his final international games.

“I am 36 years old. I don’t have the energy I used to have. If I make the best use of what I have in a competition, I don’t have the strength to beat it,” the former ODI captain of Sri Lanka said.

“We are now at number 9 in the ODI rankings and if I can get past the last few months of playing, I would be very happy,” he said of the prospect of the last few ODIs. We’re not the most down-to-earth players. We’ve played a lot of 2,3,4 in the rankings, so it’s sad. But I don’t think we can get out of here,” he further shared.

While speaking about his desire to play in the T20 World Cup, he expressed, “We have to hit the qualifying round today to go to the Twenty20 World Cup. When I have to qualify for the Twenty20 World Cup, leave it at that. I thought that if I play the Twenty20 World Cup and advance to the qualifying round.”

Lasith Malinga is one of the best bowlers in the history of Sri Lankan Cricket. He has won many games for his country. Even in recent times, his spell helped them to win the game against the host, England in the ongoing ICC World Cup. He is the highest wicket-taker for Sri Lanka with nine wickets from five matches so far. His inclusion is enough to trouble the opponents. Lasith Malinga’s retirement will create a void in Sri Lanka squad.

Sri Lanka will take on West Indies and India on July 1 and 6 respectively in their last two group matches where they need to win minimum one game to keep their hopes alive of playing in the semi-finals.