After terrorising the world’s top batsmen for nearly a decade and a half with his toe-crushing yorkers bowled from a low and peculiar sling-arm movement, Sri Lanka pace legend Lasith Malinga announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old was captain of Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup-winning side in 2014. He is a white-ball legend and one of the finest T20 bowlers of all time. He announced his decision with a message on his social media account.
“Hanging up my T20 shoes and retiring from all forms of cricket! Thankful to all those who supported me in my journey, and looking forward to sharing my experience with young cricketers in the years to come,” Malinga tweeted.
“I want to give 100 per cent rest to my T20 bowling shoes. While my shoes will rest, my love for the game will never ask for rest,” a smiling Malinga added in the video.
Malinga last played a T20I match for Sri Lanka against the West Indies in Pallekele in March 2020.
Malinga, who took 546 wickets for Sri Lanka in all formats, had already retired from Test cricket in 2011 and ODI cricket after that, but he continued to play T20Is for the national side.
He has been left out of Sri Lanka’s World Cup roster.
Last year, he declared his intention to lead Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup, which was supposed to be hosted in Australia in October-November 2020 but was postponed due to COVID. It will now be held next month.
“I am looking forward to help youngsters and guide them in the coming years,” he said as he thanked his national team and all the franchises that he has played for, including IPL team Mumbai Indians.
Malinga, who has appeared in 122 IPL games, has 170 wickets to his name, the most in the lucrative league, and the best bowling figures of 5/13. In 84 T20 Internationals, he took 107 wickets, 338 wickets in 226 ODIs, and 101 wickets in 30 Tests.
He was the first bowler to capture 100 T20I wickets, and he comes in fourth place behind Dwayne Bravo, Imran Tahir, and Sunil Narine in the list of highest wicket-takers.
After being discharged by the Mumbai Indians in January, the Sri Lankan bowler confirmed his retirement from franchise cricket.
Malinga, regarded as one of the best T20 bowlers of all time, was a crucial member of the Indian Premier League, the Big Bash League, the Caribbean Premier League, and other franchise competitions for which he participated.
He was a part of four of Mumbai Indians’ five IPL titles during his 12-year tenure with the team, but he dropped out of the 2020 competition owing to personal reasons at a time when his father was not feeling well.
“The experience that I have gained through the past 17 years will no longer be needed in the field since I have decided to retire from T20I Cricket marking my retirement from all formats of cricket,” said Malinga in a video on his YouTube channel.
He added, “But I will be continuously supporting the younger generations who strive to uplift the spirit of the game and I will always be there with all who love the game.”
The leading wicket-taker in T20I has two T20I hat-tricks to his record and is noted for his scary yorkers.
In ODI cricket, Malinga has three hat-tricks, with his performance against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies going down in history.
He added, “Today is a really memorable day for me.”
“I want to thank each and everyone who supported me throughout my T20 journey. I want to thank the Sri Lankan cricket board and team members. And Mumbai Indians cricket team, especially the team owners and officials.
“I would also like to thank the team members and staff at Melbourne Stars, Kent, Rangpur Riders, Kayana Warriors, Maratha Arabians and Montero Tigers. When I played with you all, I got many experiences through my cricketing journey.”
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