Lasith Malinga : I will decide my future after India series

09/01/2017

Lasith Malinga’s recent performances have forced him to think about his future in cricket and he stated that he would take the call after the India series. The series has been one to forget for the Lankans who have lost seven matches, 3 Test and 4 ODIs, in a row including a 168 run defeat yesterday.

India again thrashed Sri Lanka’s hopes of securing direct entry to the 2019 World Cup after handing the hosts a humiliating 168-run defeat while chasing a huge total of 376 runs. In the absence of Upal Tharanga and Chamara Kapugedera, Malinga was handed the reigns of the team for the fourth ODI. The pacer waltz his way into the record books by becoming the fourth Sri Lankan player to take 300 wickets in ODIs. but the joy didn't last long as he was hammered for 82 runs in his allotted 10 overs. Now, he has hinted that he will think about his retirement after the ongoing series.

“I’m playing after 19 months following a leg injury. In the Zimbabwe and India series, I couldn’t play well. I’ll see where I’m at after this series, and evaluate how long I can play given the way my body is. No matter how experienced I am – if I can’t win a match for the team and do what the team needs, there’s no point in me being here. I’ll see if I can make up for that 19 months and regain that form over the next 3 or four months,” Malinga said, as quoted by Indian Express.

“I’ll see the number of games that I get. If not I’ll have to consider the state of my body, and what is expected of me. If I can’t deliver that, then I’ll happily retire.”

Indian skipper Virat Kohli (131) and opener Rohit Sharma (104) built a strong 219-run partnership for the second wicket and guided the visitors to yet another victory. Malinga's 300th ODI wicket arrived in the form of Kohli, who had been smashing the Sri Lankan bowlers to all parts of the ground.

“Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma played really well. We didn’t consistently bowl a good line and length. I think on this kind of wicket our length is very crucial and we have to concentrate more on that. The first 30-40 runs Virat got very quickly,” Malinga said.

Sri Lanka have been struggling for quite a while now and this was on full display when they lost an ODI series on home soil against Zimbabwe. The team has been under scrutiny since then and their display against India will not help their cause.

“Since the last match of the Zimbabwe series, we couldn’t be successful across batting, bowling and fielding in the same match. In that match we only got about 200 and since then we haven’t been able to pass 250. I think, personally, if we are playing at the international level, it’s when you get experience at that level that you understand how to handle difficult situations. ”

“A lot of our players are inexperienced at international level. I think if we gave some chances to the young players here, we will get players who can play for a long time. If we can give them experience to the team that goes to the 2019 World Cup, then you will have players who have played 30-50 ODIs,” he added.

Lasith Malinga : I will decide my future after India series

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