Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga, who featured on Russell Arnold’s YouTube show ‘Chilling with Russell’, had a few things to say about his fitness and future in International Cricket.
Asked if he would be available to play the Road Safety World Series Legends tournament, Malinga said that since he hasn’t retired from international cricket yet, he would not be available for the tournament, which is for retired international cricketers.
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”Only the players who have retired from international cricket are allowed to play in the Legends tournament, so I will not play because I haven’t yet retired from international cricket,” Malinga said.
When asked about whether Malinga will play in the upcoming T20 World Cup, he replied that though he can bowl 24 balls (4 overs), he is not able to complete the 2km run fitness test, making him ineligible for selection under the current standards set by the Sri Lanka Cricket administration.
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“It’s not about the T20 World Cup, but I can still bowl 24 balls. I am not able to complete the 2km fitness test. That’s why I’m staying home. But I can bowl for about 2 hours without any issue” Malinga added.
Malinga who has been very vocal about the recently implemented fitness policy went onto say that fitness never affected his performances in the past.
“I took 4 wickets in 4 balls against New Zealand at Kandy, I was 36 years old at that time. Nobody complained about my tummy or fitness on that occasion” Malinga went on to add.
