Lasith Malinga shone in his farewell match as Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by 91 runs in the first One-Day International of a three-match series in Colombo on Friday.
Malinga rattled Bangladesh with his fiery opening spell, reducing the visitors to 39/4 in the process, without allowing them to recover from the damage. The 35-year-old finished with figures of 3/38 to mark the end of a glorious career.
‘Go well champion’: Twitter bids adieu to Lasith Malinga after his final ODI game for Sri Lanka
“I feel it’s the right time for me to retire from ODIs. I have been playing for the last 15 years for Sri Lanka and this is the right time to move on,” Malinga, who finished his ODI career with 338 wickets, said after the game. “My time is over and I have to go.”
Having made his ODI debut way back in 2004, Malinga retires as an absolute legend of the format.
Here are the key numbers from his remarkable one-day career:
- He took 56 wickets in World Cup matches, which is the third highest overall.
- He took three hat-tricks in ODIs, which is the most among all bowlers in history.
- He took eight five-wicket hauls in ODIs, which is the fifth-highest overall.
- He took 29 wickets in Asia Cup matches, which is the second highest overall.
- He finishes with a bowling strike-rate of 24.7 in ODI victories, which is the best among bowlers with a minimum of 150 wickets in wins.
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