26 February 2016 09:54 am
“I’m not happy. (For the) last three months I didn’t bowl a single ball. Just the last two days in the nets. But the result I am very happy. But I think I have to do more for the team. We have to play very tough teams in the future. I have (made a) come back, but I don’t know about the next day. But I will try my best. It was not my 100 per cent. Maybe 60-70 per cent. But I still managed to bowl the yorkers and slower balls. But the team expects more than that from me,” Malinga said after Sri Lanka’s 14-run win over UAE in their Asia Cup opening game on Thursday.
The 32-year-old returned with 4/26 to take the Man of the Match award but in the post-match presser, he spoke about his injury.
“I had a very bad injury in the knee. The same thing happened in 2008. I had to get two years’ rest for it to recover. Same injury has happened on the other leg. But this is not the time to rest. We have the World Cup and I am the experienced bowler in the national team in the T20 format. So whatever I can do – use painkiller or injection or whatever – this is the end of my career. So if I can do something for the team, I want to do the best I can for my team in these last few years or few months.” Injury had been the reason why Malinga hung up his Test boots in 2010. He hasn’t played ODIs either since November last year. A very popular cricketer, home and abroad, the World T20 is likely to be his swansong.(The Indian Express)