Sri Lanka’s iconic paceman Lasith Malinga, has confirmed his retirement from all forms of cricket. He had previously retired from the ODI and Test formats, and he announced his retirement from T20Is on 14 September. Malinga has shown his last performance for Sri Lanka in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 outbreak hit the sport, and has been on the benches ever since.
Also, Malinga’s name was not mentioned for the next T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. The 38-year-old bagged 107 wickets in 84 T20Is for his nation, collecting 2 five-wicket hauls and a four-wicket haul. In terms of his whole career, he appeared in 295 T20 matches, 226 ODIs, and 30 Tests.
He excelled in the shorter format, bowling yorkers at will in four-over sessions and finishing his career with a remarkable 390 wickets (in all T20s). In the IPL, Lasith Malinga exclusively performed for the Mumbai Indians, for whom he won many titles. His final delivery in the cash-rich competition was the title-winning one for MI, as he removed CSK’s Shardul Thakur to clinch the franchise’s 4th IPL trophy in the 2019 season.
I have decided that I want to give 100% rest to my T20 bowling shoes: Malinga
Lasith Malinga announced his retirement on his official Twitter page, he also uploaded a heartfelt video highlighting some of his career’s most memorable moments.“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,” he wrote in his tweet.
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.https://t.co/JgGWhETRwm #LasithMalinga #Ninety9
— Lasith Malinga (@ninety9sl) September 14, 2021
Lasith Malinga paid tribute to all of the teams for whom he participated throughout his spectacular T20 career, by also adding that he is giving his bowling shoes a complete break in the shortest format. “Today is a very special day for me because I want to thank each and everyone who supported me throughout my T20 career. Today I have decided that I want to give 100% rest to my T20 bowling shoes”.
“I want to thank Sri Lankan cricket board and my team members, the Mumbai Indians cricket team and team members, especially team owners and officials, Melbourne Stars, Kent Cricket Club, Rangpur Riders, Guyana Warriors, Maratha Arabians, and Montreal Tigers,” Malinga said in his farewell video.
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