Lasith Malinga, widely regarded as one of the most impactful limited-overs bowlers of all time, is celebrating his 37th birthday today.
Sri Lanka's legendary fast bowler Lasith Malinga is celebrating his 37th birthday today. Malinga, who captains the international side in the shortest format of the game, is widely regarded as one of the best limited-overs bowlers of all time.
He made his name with an unorthodox action when he arrived in international cricket, and his accuracy with yorkers -- especially at the death overs, made him the most lethal bowler in the limited-overs format during his prime.
He has appeared for Sri Lanka in 30 Tests, 226 ODIs and 83 T20Is so far, having made his international debut in 2004. Malinga holds the record for most wickets in T20Is (107), and is, by far, the only bowler to have taken more than 100 wickets in international T20s.
While he has 338 scalps to his name in ODIs, Malinga has taken 101 wickets in Test cricket. The Sri Lankan bowler announced his retirement from the longest format of the game in April 2011, at the age of 27.
He lifted the 2014 T20 World Cup title, as Sri Lanka defeated India in the final of the tournament.
In the Indian Premier League, Malinga represents Mumbai Indians. With Virat Kohli, he is the only cricketer to have played for only one franchise throughout the IPL.
With time, Malinga became an iconic figure in the league with MI. His accuracy during the death overs made him a key part of the franchise over time. He has appeared for Mumbai Indians in 122 matches, taking 170 wickets. Malinga boasts of an economy rate of 7.14 in his IPL career.
Malinga will return to Mumbai Indians for the 2020 edition of the tournament. However, it has been reported that he is likely to miss the first few games of the tournament due to personal reasons.
