Sri Lankan bowler Lasith Malinga says that he will retire from international cricket after the 2019 Cricket World Cup.
The fast bowler quit Test cricket because of a “long-standing degenerative condition in the right knee” in 2011, but he continued playing the shorter formats.
One of the best fast bowlers to have ever played for Sri Lanka, Malinga isn’t part of the 23 man squad for the tour to Bangladesh but was present at a special practice session with new coach Chandika Hathurusingha in Colombo.
For the right arm pacer, the 2019 ICC World Cup is his next target, and if he does make it to England, that will be his swansong.
“If they pick me I’m ready, but the reason for why I haven’t been picked is what I’m still waiting for,” Malinga said. “Usually it’s a player who is 25 or 26 that needs to be rested because they still have a lot of cricket left in them. But for someone of my age, from what I know, there’s really no purpose in being rested.
Lasith Malinga is never short of sharing his impeccable knowledge to others. His fruitful guidance has helped Jasprit Bumrah ever so well that he has raised his bar to the highest level. However, Malinga says if any team approaches him in search of a mentor role, then he is ready to nod his head just because he wants to share his knowledge to others.
“If someone calls me today and says ‘Look, we would like to have you within our coaching team for the World Cup’, I am ready to accept it. Not because of anything but I want to share my knowledge with others when I can,” Malinga concluded.