ICC World Cup 2019 | MS Dhoni should play for one or two more years, claims Lasith Malinga

07/05/2019

With the cries for MS Dhoni's retirement being loud as ever, veteran pacer Lasith Malinga has come to the defence of the Indian wicket-keeper, stating that he should continuing playing for an year or two. Malinga has also praised Dhoni as the 'Best Finisher in the last 10 years'.

No player has been in the limelight more than MS Dhoni in the past week, with former cricketers and experts criticising the Indian wicket-keeper for his "slow knock" against Afghanistan and for his "lack of intent" shown in the game against England. Rumours have also circulated about Dhoni potentially retiring post the World Cup, and this has added fuel to the fire.

However, Sri Lankan pace ace Lasith Malinga has come to the defence of MS Dhoni, stating that he firmly believes that Dhoni should play for a year or two while hailing him as the "Best Finisher in the last 10 years.".

“I think MS (Dhoni) should play for another one or two years. He is the best finisher in the last 10 years. I don’t think anyone can beat him in future. He has to give his experience and situation handling to all the young players," said Malinga in an interview to ANI.

Malinga also pointed towards India's experience as the reason for their success and claimed that they are good enough to beat any team in the competition. "They (India) have good experience in past captain MS Dhoni. I think that’s why they are a successful team. I think they are good enough to beat any team in this competition,” said the former Sri Lankan captain.

When quizzed about Virat Kohli's captaincy, Malinga said that Kohli enjoys the luxury of having good players, and also praised the players for knowing exactly what their role is, in the team. “I think Virat has a good luxury. They (India) have good players, they showed their character in the IPL tournament. They know exactly their ownership in the team, every single player then Virat doesn’t have to do much,” Malinga said.

Malinga also showered praise on the Indian pace attack, complementing them for their accuracy. “They (Bumrah and Shami) are the most accurate bowlers. Shami is the guy who took five wickets and three wickets. Every time he gets the ball he knows how accurate it is for him. Jasprit is an experienced death overs bowler. He knows how to handle pressure situation,” he added.

Talking about India's bowling unit as a whole, Malinga pointed towards the balance of the attack and the spinners as the main reason for success, and also tipped India to "definitely" qualify for the Final if Bumrah picks wickets in the semis.

“I think that combination is very good for them. And I think they have two genuine good spinners. That’s why they are a well successful team. Jasprit is doing good in this world cup and I am still waiting for his five wickets in the World Cup. I fell if he gets five wickets in the semi-finals they will definitely qualify for the final,” Malinga concluded.

Sri Lanka will take on India at Headingley on Saturday, and will be looking to end their World Cup campaign on a high note.