Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Colombo, September 2
Veteran Sri Lanka pacer Lasith Malinga says he will assess his future in international cricket after the current limited-overs series against India, adding that he will call it quits the moment his performance drops.
Malinga took his 300th ODI wicket when he dismissed Virat Kohli in the fourth match, which the hosts lost by 168 runs to concede a 4-0 series lead.
“I’m playing after 19 months following a leg injury. In the Zimbabwe and India series I couldn’t play well. I’ll see where I’m at after this series, and evaluate how long I can play given the way my body is. No matter how experienced I am, if I can’t win a match for the team and do what the team needs, there’s no point in me being here. I’ll see if I can make up for that 19 months and regain that form over the next three or four months,” Malinga said.
A day before the match he had expressed hope of playing until the next World Cup. But based on his form lately he admitted that the future is up for consideration. “I’ll see the number of games that I get. If not, I’ll have to consider the state of my body, and what is expected of me. If I can’t deliver that, then I’ll happily retire.”
The stand-in skipper has said that the 219-run partnership between Kohli and Rohit Sharma took the game away from them as they couldn’t counter their attacking hundreds.
