Lasith Malinga, Sri Lanka’s longtime Strike bowler, ended the one-day international cricket and recalled how good he is. He celebrated in the 91st victory of his team against Bangladesh a 3-38 win.
Malinga finished 226 games with 338 wickets – ahead of Anil Kumble ninth on the list of all time. On Friday, July 26, he completed his last ball with a wicket at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Sri Lanka mark Lasith Malinga's final ODI appearance with a 91-run win over Bangladesh 👏#SLvBAN pic.twitter.com/AyvNmdgVKu
— ICC (@ICC) July 26, 2019
After proving that he still has what it takes, he insisted it was the right time to retire when Sri Lanka began rebuilding for the next World Cup. He will have big shoes to fill, but the pacemaker, who turns 36 next month, challenged the younger generation to top up.
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“My captains expect me to take the gates,” Malinga said at the presentation after the game. “I have tried my best throughout my career, I hope all the young bowlers do so, as I can only survive in cricket, I think nobody can go far, you have to be a match winner.”
“I look forward to it in the future, these young bowlers have to perform well and people have to say,” This is a victorious bowler! “We have a few people who have the ability, we have to take care of them.”
If I had to pick one match winner among many others for @mipaltan in the last decade, this man will be on the top for sure. As a captain he give me breather during tense situation and he never failed to deliver, such was his presence within the team. Best wishes LM for the future pic.twitter.com/gJJJKy8gL3
— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 26, 2019
Malinga, who was the best wicket taker for Sri Lanka at the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, decided to bow to his home crowd and they sent him off in a good voice.
“I have been playing for Sri Lanka for the last 15 years, so it is an honor to play for these people and for the whole audience that is behind me.” “I think this is the time I have to go on because we have to build for the 2023 World Cup and that’s why I realized, ‘OK, my time is up, I have to go’.”
