Lasith Malinga bids adieu from One Day International cricket. The SriLankan legend played his last match against Bangladesh Yesterday. He is the third-highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket for Sri Lanka with 338 after Muttiah Muralitharan (523) and Chaminda Vaas (399). However, there is another angle to Malinga’s life that has not earned much attention. Doing best throughout his career, the lethal pacer has not visited his home for 10 years from now. His parents are said to be struggling to survive with no proper food and lifestyle.
Malinga retires from ODI cricket
The finest bowler of Sri Lanka has seen the greatest of cricket life. Malinga played the last match against Bangladesh where the lions beat the tigers by 91 runs giving the fast bowler a better farewell. The right-arm pacer felt it was the right time to hang his boots from ODI cricket as he had already served for his country for 15 years. The 35-Year-old tells that his time is over, it’s not about playing the game, its about winning games for your country.
“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. My time is over and I have to go. Winning is very important for me; We are a young team,” Malinga said in the post-match presentation.
“I tried my best throughout my career. Some of the young bowlers in the country have a good ability, so they need to try and produce match-winning spells. You have to be a match-winner for your team, that’s my advice,” he added. Source
The other part of his story
With all his success in his career, the legendary cricketer also has an unexplored life that most people don’t know. It has been 10 years since he did not been home. His mother and father are facing difficulties financially and are fighting for survival. Malinga was born in Rathgama village in Galle, he grew up playing cricket on the sandbanks and coconut farms of a village in Galle.
The parents work together as a tailor and earn bread for living out of it. His mother tells that his son likes to live in Colombo. He does not want to visit Galle as he is too busy. When asked about the last time she saw Malinga, the mother said it was 4 months back when she went to Colombo. The family and the people in their village have not seen him in four years and they are now almost used to it.
