One win in the last five matches and a loss in the game against England could have spelled doom for the Sri Lankan Cricket Team. The general consensus was that England would cruise to victory against the struggling Islanders thereby putting an end to the 4-0 World Cup drought which had been haunting the hosts for a very long time.
The Unlikely Victory
Until the 30th over of the 2nd Innings, England was still in control of the game. Chasing a modest total of 233, the England team was at 126/2 with Joe Root and Ben Stokes still at the crease. However, Malinga came on for the seventh over of his spell and the 37-year-old produced the unlikeliest of spells to help his nation pull off a massive upset.
The Slinger’s impressive spell
Lasith Maling picked the wickets of Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow, and James Vince thereby ending the game with an impressive spell of 4/43. Most importantly, the Slinger just gave two runs in his final 12 balls which mounted immense pressure on the English batsman. The hosts were bundled out for 212 runs thereby giving Sri Lanka a much-required victory in this tournament.
Lasith Maling was adjudged as the man of the match for his impressive spell as he received appreciation from all quarters.
However, it was Lasith Maling’s former teammate and current Mumbai Indians’ coach Mahela Jayawardene’s way of congratulating the veteran bowler which has caught the attention of many.
The fat-shamed picture
A picture had been going viral in the last few days which drew the ire of many Sri Lankan supporters and fans of the game. Lasith Malinga was seen shirtless in the picture in the dressing room. Sporting a belly, Malinga looked extremely unfit. It was definitely not the fitness levels that were expected out of a cricketer and many linked this careless attitude of the cricketer to his team’s dismal performance in the World Cup.
After the game, Mahela Jayawardene used his social media account to applaud Lasith Malinga after the game using this picture. The former middle-order batsman supported his former teammate and suggested that class and experience stood above all in the game of cricket. The fat-shamers of Lasith Malinga did have to shut their mouths after Malinga’s performance on the field and Mahela’s sarcastic post.
Although social media is a good place to get close to the individuals we admire, the trolling definitely has to reduce. The other day, Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed was fat-shamed when he was seen along with his son in a mall. This is unacceptable and it has to be made sure that such things would not repeat again in the future.
