Lasith Malinga has announced his retirement from T20 cricket after 295 matches where he picked 390 wickets. Malinga had already retired from Tests in 2011 and from ODIs in 2019. The Sri Lanka pacer had also announced his retirement from franchise cricket in January this year after being released by Mumbai Indians.
Malinga finishes with astonishing figures - a strike rate of 16.60, an economy of 7.07 and an average of 19.68. He was the first bowler to bag 100 T20I wickets before ending with 107 scalps. He finishes fourth in the highest wicket-taker category in the list behind Dwayne Bravo, Imran Tahir and Sunil Narine.
"Today is a very special day for me. I want to thank each one of you who have supported me throughout my T20 career. Today I have decided to give 100 per cent rest to my T20 bowling shoes," he said. "I want to thank Sri Lanka cricket board, Mumbai Indians, Melbourne Stars, Kent Cricket Club, Rangpur Riders, Guyana Warriors, Maratha Warriors and Montreal Tigers. I now want to share my experience with young cricketers who want to play franchise cricket and for their national team.
"While my shoes rest, my love for the game will never ask for rest. Looking forward to seeing our youngsters make history."
Malinga, one of the best T20 bowlers of all time, was a crucial figure in the teams he represented in Indian Premier League, Big Bash League, Caribbean Premier League, and other franchise tournaments. He was part of four of the five IPL championship wins with Mumbai Indians but had opted out of the 2020 tournament.
Source: Cricbuzz