Lasith Malinga to quit international cricket after next World T20

Malinga has confirmed that he will not be a part of international cricket after the 2020 T20 World Cup. However, the veteran Mumbai Indians pacer will call it a day in ODI cricket after the end of the next World Cup in England and Wales which is scheduled to begin from May 30 this year. It was under Malinga’s captaincy that the Lankan team managed to clinch the World T20 title in Bangladesh in 2014.

"After the World Cup, my cricketing career is ending. I want to play in the T20 World Cup and then end my career," Malinga said after Sri Lanka lost to South Africa by 16 runs in the second T20I, reported AFP.

The 35-year-old bowler had made his international debut in 2004 and played his first T20I in 2006 for the Islanders. He has 322 wickets from 218 ODIs while in the shortest format of the game, the veteran has claimed 97 wickets in his career.

The pacer, who was picked up by Mumbai Indians for two crore rupees, has also decided to skip the first six matches of the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League starting today in order to get a place in the Lankan ODI squad for the Cricket World Cup. There are reports that the Lankan selectors have asked the cricketers to play in the domestic Super Provincial One-Day tournament from April 4 to get a place in the World Cup.

“I had asked the [Sri Lanka] board for a No-Objection Certificate for me to play in the IPL, and they had said that was fine, but that all players who want to go to the World Cup would need to stay back for the provincial tournament,” Malinga told ESPNCricinfo.

“So I told them I’d play in the provincial tournament, and I asked the board to inform Mumbai Indians and IPL, since it was their decision. I’m okay with losing those earnings from IPL. I’m doing it for the country.”