What is the most common phrase you hear after the Sri Lanka cricket team lose a match? Most often, it is something along the lines of ‘the Sri Lankan brand of cricket’ and ‘players need to play it to reverse their fortunes’. No one knows exactly what that is. But everyone knows the feeling.
What is this ‘Sri Lanka Brand of Cricket’? It is the chubby Arjuna Ranatunga taking on the umpires, it is the god-like Aravinda de Silva hooking 140+ kph bouncers with ease, it is the bulging forearmed Sanath Jayasuriya sending the bowlers running, it is the understated Chaminda Vaas never failing to get the early breakthrough, it is the jovial Muttiah Muralitharan widening his eyes to terrifying levels before delivering his lethal spinners, and it is and will always be Lasith Malinga with his curly hair let loose to float to the tune of the breeze, sending in searing toe-crushers at scrambling batsmen.
Lasith Malinga who will be hanging up his boots from ODI cricket after the 1st ODI of the upcoming Bangladesh tour of Sri Lanka, may not be the highest wicket taker for Sri Lanka or the most celebrated cricketer in Sri Lanka in the recent past, but he is most definitely the one who will leave an indelible mark on the sport, both on and off the field, positive or negative.
| Player | Wickets |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | 534 |
| Chaminda Vaas | 400 |
| Lasith Malinga | 335 |
| Sanath Jayasuriya | 323 |
| Nuwan Kulasekara | 199 |
Most ODI Wickets for Sri Lanka
That is the most unique feature of Lasith Malinga’s career. He did things his way, be it on the field, in front of media, in the dressing room, he had his own way.
On the field, from his looks and his bowling action to the deliveries he bowled, it was always something never seen before. He was called ‘Slinga’ because of his slinging action when delivering the ball, a rarity, just like his bag of tricks with ball in hand. Even the most skillful batsmen in the world found it nearly impossible to decipher the combination.
After his breakthrough tournament, the 2007 World Cup where the world was introduced to the monster that is Lasith Malinga, he became a hot pick in franchise cricket all around the World. Even after shining in countless T20 leagues, he always saved his best for Sri Lanka, especially in World Cups.
Hat-tricks were just his thing. The 35-year-old has 3 ODI hat-tricks and is the only one to achieve this rare feat. His 4 in 4 against South Africa at the 2007 World Cup, is the only time a bowler took 4 consecutive wickets in 4 balls. It was as if hat-tricks weren’t enough for him, because that was just his way.
Of the many fearsome bowlers that dominated our sport, there was none more deadly than Malinga, known also as the King of Yorkers. His methods of plunder were most wondrous, for aside from his deadly and venomous toe-crusher, Malinga has a murderous slow, dipping full toss and welcoming slow bouncer, that was nearly always followed by a wide, friendly smile.
| PLAYER | Yorkers |
| Lasith Malinga | 872 |
| Tim Southee | 328 |
| Mitchell Starc | 327 |
| Nuwan Kulasekara | 288 |
| Trent boult | 233 |
Most Yorkers since 2010
After being out of cricket for some time due to a chronic knee injury, he still found a way to take wickets, this time not with searing pace, but with gentle slow ones mixed in with years of experience. He was kept out of the team by selectors in the latter part of his career. But Malinga made sure to top the wickets column in domestic tournaments, even if that meant going back and forth from India to Sri Lanka in the middle of IPL, because he always had his way.
Malinga could have become the greatest seamer of the all-time, if the ‘two new balls in an ODI innings’ rule hadn’t been implemented as his skill in reversing the ball wasn’t as useful after the change. But he kept breaking record after record, winning the hearts of cricket fans around the world, one yorker at a time.
In his retirement series, he didn’t want to play all 3 games and decided to play just the 1st one. He made a public request from the officials to grant him an opportunity play his last ODI with his partner in crime, Nuwan Kulasekara, simply because the much loved yet long forgotten seamer didn’t get a proper farewell game. Because that was just his way.
Lasith Malinga, World T20 winning Captain, golden haired toe crusher, the warrior who keeps on fighting, THE LEGEND!
