Lasith Malinga to Retire After First ODI against Bangladesh

Sri Lankan pacer, Lasith Malinga is all set to drop curtains over his glorious career that spanned over 15 years. Malinga, 35 spoke to his captain Dimuth Karunaratne and said that he would retire after playing the first match of the Bangladesh series.

Even though Malinga was named in the squad for three ODIs, Karunaratne told that the pacer wanted to retire after the first ODI.

“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,” Karunaratne said in a press conferece.

Famous for his toe crushers in his prime, Malinga will have played 226 ODIs by the end of his supposedly final game. He has so far picked up 335 wickets and can go past Anil Kumble (337 wickets). Even if he manages only one wicket, he will have reached another milestone. He is one wicket away from picking up  ODI wickets at the R Premadasa stadium in Colombo where the match is to be held.

Whatever the outcome of Friday’s game, Lasith Malinga will have finished his career as one of the finest bowlers for Sri Lanka, with an immaculate eye for the toe. Malinga will finish as the third highest wicket taker for Sri Lanka. Only Muttiah Muralitharan (523 wickets) and Chaminda Vaas (399 wickets) have taken more wickets in ODIs for Sri Lanka.

Malinga’s most notable performance was when he picked up four wickets off four consecutive deliveries against South Africa in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Battling against injuries, he managed to play the 2019 World Cup and bowled another memorable spell against England in a low scoring match which not only shocked the favorites but also threw the World Cup wide open. He also finished as the highest wicket taker for Sri Lanka in his final World Cup.