Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga rises in the T20 ranking with his four picks in four balls against New Zealand and was placed at No. 21 on the latest rankings for bowlers. The updated rankings were released on Saturday after the end of the three-match T20I series where New Zealand won by 2-1.
Malinga was the one to become the first bowler to capture four wickets in four successive balls in both ODIs and T20Is which led Sri Lanka to a consolation 37-run win in Pallekele. It seems to be his fifth hat-trick overall in international cricket. With the first wicket of his spell, Malinga also became the first male bowler to take 100 wickets in the T20’s.
Malinga has put down New Zealand all-rounder Colin Munro for 12 on the third ball of his second over along with Hamish Rutherford, Colin de Grandhomme and Ross Taylor back to the pavilion in consecutive balls.
A similar feat was achieved by Malinga in 2007, 50-over World Cup in South Africa, where he picked the wicket of Tim Seifert, for eight and registered a five-wicket haul. The speedster had retired from Test cricket in 2011 and played his fare-well one-day international in July earlier this year.
Lasith Malinga stunned New Zealand with four wickets in four balls to help deliver victory for his side in the third T20I. #SLvNZ REPORT ⬇️ https://t.co/QWMEBlSJMi
— ICC (@ICC) September 7, 2019
