The curly locks, the unorthodox action, the toe-crushing yorkers’ and that devilish smile. Lasith Malinga is a true unicorn in world cricket and after multiple hat-tricks and over 100 T20I wickets, the Sri Lankan legend calls time on his career and hangs up his boots from all forms of cricket. From the gullies of Mumbai to the beaches of Galle, Malinga will be remembered as the greatest T20 bowler of all time, and in honour of his retirement, we take a look at his top 5 spells of all time.
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Lasith Malinga is the highest wicket-taker in IPL history with 170 scalps and his greatest performance in the competition came way back in 2011 against the Delhi Daredevils. Malinga removed both David Warner and Unmukt Chand in his first over with two thunderbolts before returning in his second spell to send back Venugopal Rao and tail-enders Morkel and Dinda to complete his first IPL five-fer. Malinga conceded just 13 runs in this spell and his exploits restricted Delhi to a measly 95 – to give Mumbai a straightforward 8-wicket victory.
Arguably, the greatest spell Lasith Malinga bowled in international cricket came at the 2007 ICC World Cup in West Indies when the pacer became the first bowler to pick up four wickets in four balls in international cricket. South Africa were cruising at 206/5 in a super eight match against the Lankans before Malinga added one more twist in the tale. With only four runs left to get, Malinga removed Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini off consecutive deliveries in one of the most iconic performances in World Cup history.
Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, South Africa limped home with Robin Peterson and Charles Langeveldt scoring the four runs needed to seal a thrilling one-wicket win.
Malinga’s T20 exploits for Mumbai and Sri Lanka earned him a gig with the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash, and in only his second game for the franchise, Malinga picked up his best T20 figures. Malinga showed off his entire arsenal of toe-crushers and slower balls as he picked up six wickets for only seven runs to limit the Perth Scorchers to a total of only 69.
12 years after his exploits vs South Africa, Lasith Malinga picked up four wickets in four balls once again in international cricket against New Zealand in a T20I. After the hosts set a modest total of 125, Malinga produced another spell of magic as he dismissed Colin Munro, Hamish Rutherford, Colin de Grandhomme and Ross Taylor in four consecutive balls with fast swinging yorkers in the third over. Malinga ended the innings with his best T20 international figures of 5/6 as the Kiwis fell short by 37 runs in Pallekele.
Malinga always saves his best for the biggest stage, and the old war-horse continued to outfox batters despite losing his pace towards the latter end of his career. Defending a measly 232-run target against a potent English batting unit at the 2019 ODI World Cup, Malinga produced an inspired spell of 4/43 to help the Lankan lions upset the pre-tournament favourites in their backyard. Malinga removed both openers – James Vince and Jonny Bairstow – before returning in the middle overs to remove the well-set Joe Root and the dangerous Jos Buttler to help keep Sri Lanka’s semi-final hopes alive and win by 20 runs.
[Featured Image Credit: ANI]
Shivaan Shah