Unfortunately, Malinga's send-off could not come in a match where there could be thousands of fans in a stadium, but the world of cricket will miss him immensely nonetheless.
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Sri Lankan cricketing legend Lasith Malinga announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Tuesday. Malinga, 38, tweeted that he was hanging up his T20 shoes and retiring from all forms of cricket. He also thanked the ones that were with him throughout his journey. Undoubtedly, the pacer is one of the greatest bowlers of all time and will always be remembered as a legend of the sport. The former cricketer also shared a video montage of his best moments on the cricket field as he bid his final adieu. Unfortunately, Malinga’s send-off could not come in a match where there could be thousands of fans in a stadium, but the world of cricket will miss him immensely nonetheless.
“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,” the 38-year-old tweeted. “While my shoes will rest my love for the game will never rest,” he titled his montage video.
Malinga announced his decision on his new Youtube channel, where he has been delving into Sri Lanka’s limited-overs exploits in recent weeks. “Today I made the decision to give my T20 bowling shoes a complete rest,” he explained. “I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has helped and blessed me throughout my T20 journey.” Malinga went on to thank the authorities and players of all of the major teams he has played for, from the Sri Lankan national team to the Mumbai Indians, Melbourne Stars, and a variety of other clubs throughout the world.
Malinga represented Sri Lanka in 226 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), 84 Twenty-20 Internationals (T20Is), and 30 Tests. While he only has 101 wickets in Test cricket, he has 338 ODI wickets and 107 T20I wickets. On July 1, 2004, he made his Test debut for Sri Lanka against Australia. The Sri Lankan, who is known for his destructive yorker bowling, was instrumental in Sri Lanka reaching the 2011 World Cup final. He subsequently went on to win the 2014 T20 World Cup for Sri Lanka.
In the early days of the T20 format, he was one of the most important innovators. Although his fast, swinging yorker was his main weapon throughout his T20 career, he also developed a well-hidden slower ball, a slower bouncer, and was one of the first and most successful bowlers to deploy wide yorkers at the end, a strategy that is now fairly regular.
Malinga has also played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and was a seasoned player. He made 122 appearances for the Mumbai Indians and was instrumental in the team’s rise to the top of the cash-rich league. In January of this year, the right-arm bowler announced his retirement from franchise cricket.
Malinga was identified by Sri Lanka fast bowling tutors Anusha Samaranayake and Champaka Ramanayake, who took him into the domestic system and trained him in his early years, despite his late start in hard-ball cricket. He made his international debut in 2004 and quickly established himself as a regular in all of Sri Lanka’s teams. Injuries to his knees and ankles threatened to end his career, so he retired from Test cricket in 2010 to focus on limited-overs cricket. Malinga’s last international appearance was in March 2020.
