Lasith Malinga Blames Critics After LPL 2020 Withdrawal

Nov 24, 2020 at 5:50 PM

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Lasith Malinga Blames Critics After LPL 2020 Withdrawal

Lasith Malinga, Sri Lankan T20I skipper has hit out at people who have criticized him for withdrawing from the Lanka Premier League (LPL), saying that the world knows what he has done for his country.

Lasith Malinga added that if he fails to perform in the LPL considering his participation, then critics would be saying that he performs well only in the Indian Premier League (IPL) but not in the LPL.

Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga. Image Credit: Getty Images

Lasith Malinga Mentioned That Critics Will Say He Can Bowl Yorkers Only In IPL If He Fails To Bowl Yorkers In LPL

In IPL, he is leading wicket-taker with 170 wickets in 122 games averaging 19.8 in IPL. He has 4-wicket hauls 6 times which is the most along with Sunil Narine in IPL. He opted out of IPL 2020 too citing family reasons.

Lasith Malinga was slated to be part of the Galle Gladiators franchise in LPL 2020. However, he announced his withdrawal from the tournament last week citing lack of time for preparation.

Sunil Narine
Sunil Narine Also Has 6 Four Wicket Hauls Like Lasith Malinga (Image Credit: IPL)

The 37-year-old has now responded to the criticism which he has received from various corners about pulling out of the inaugural LPL.

“If I fail to bowl yorkers in the LPL, people will say you can bowl yorkers in the IPL and not in the LPL. No matter what you achieve, sometimes you have to take the criticism too. The world knows what I have done for my country. The people who love me know it too. That is enough for me,” Malinga told Newswire.

Several global players have withdrawn like Faf Du Plessis (Colombo Kings), David Miller (Dambulla Viking), Colin Ingram (Galle Gladiators), Dawid Malan (Jaffna Stallions) and Chris Gayle (Kandi Tuskers). Faf Du Plessis, David Miller, Dawid Malan and Pakistani players like Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Wahab Riaz withdrew due to international commitments. Colin Ingram and Carlos Braithwaite withdrew for Big Bash commitments.

Lasith Malinga Practices Bowling A Delivery A Thousand Times Before Eventually Bowling The Same

Lasith Malinga said that preparation for a cricket match was not just about working out in the gym. He explained how bowling in the nets is a vital part of the preparation for an encounter.

“Some will wonder why lack of preparation is a problem for someone who has played so much cricket. You can’t do this by just preparing in your gym at home. Before I bowl a yorker in a match, I practice bowling that delivery about a thousand times. It is not something that happens by accident,” Malinga said.

Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga- Photo Credit: AFP

The pacer felt that his time in the game is nearing an end and said he was ready to help the youngsters making it to the national side. Lasith Malinga debuted way back in 2004 and played 30 Tests, 226 ODIs and 84 T20Is. His last Test came in 2010 and last ODI came in 2019.

In September 2019, during the series against New Zealand, he became the first bowler in the world to take 100 wickets in Twenty20 International. He took a hat-trick in that match to become the first bowler to claim two T20I hat-tricks. He was the first bowler to take four wickets in four consecutive balls twice in international cricket.

Lasith Malinga also hoped that LPL would become a platform for a lot of youngsters to showcase their talent. LPL 2020 is scheduled to begin at Hambantota on November 26.

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