Happy Birthday Lasith Malinga: Here are some lesser known facts about yorker king
Lasith Malinga who is well known for his yorkers was born on 28 August 1983, Malinga has emerged as one of the most formidable bowler in world cricket. The 32 year old has strike terror into the batsmen with his pecular bowling action resulting to savage spells.
On his birthday, here are some lesser know facts about Lasith Malinga:
1) Malinga began playing cricket at the age of 11 in his native place Rathgama. Playing softball cricket on the beach, he asserted that his eerie action is natural, it was anly during his late teens that he started playing with the cricket ball.
2) During New Zealand tour in 2005, Lasith Malinga was so davastating that the home side had difficulties seeing the ball. New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming had requested the umpires to remove their ties because they would often lose the ball as it came in an awkward angle. The umpires were also asked to tie a white jersey around their waist so that the batsmen see it better. Eventhough Steve Bucknor agreed to it, Darrel Hair rebuffed.
3) Malinga once went two matches without taking a single wicket with a toe-chusher. He then destroyed that PlayStation 3 console.
4) In 2001, Lasith Malinga was taken to the nets to bowl, but was halted from bowling because of the fear of causing injuries. The Gaurdian reported Arvinda de Silva as stating, “Around about the time we were getting ready for the 2003 World Cup I heard there was this young pace-bowler new in Colombo and how no one really wanted to bat against him, certainly none of the seniors. So I had to have a go.”
5) The 32 year old is the only bowler to have taken three hat-tricks in ODI, two of which came during the World Cup matches, which is also a world record, he also took four wickets in four deliveries against South Africa. He is the only bowler to achieve this landmark.
6) Lasith Malinga has dismissed seven batsmen, six times in international cricket. The list comprises big names such as Sachin Tendulkar, Shahid Afridi, Gautam Gambhir, Virender Sehwag and Shane Watson. Nevertheless, he has been most successful against Bangladesh batsmen Shahriar Nafees and Javed Omar. Nafees has been dismissed six times in eleven matches, while Omer was dismissed six times in seven games.
7) Malinga has been named the sexiest man in cricket by a Barbados based magazine called Easy.
8) Lasith Malinga was a part of the highest ninth wicket partnership in ODI. Along with Angelo Mathews, he put up 132 against the Aussies at Melbourne in 2010 to help Sri Lanka win. Chasing 240 to win, Sri Lanka were 107 for eight when the pair got going. Lasith Malinga went on to amass 56 runs and was out with a run required for a win.
