Lasith Malinga: The Yorker King and Sri Lanka's Sling-Action Paceman
Lasith Malinga's sling-arm round-arm action and lethal yorker made him one of cricket's most dangerous T20 bowlers, taking 338 ODI wickets and leading Sri Lanka to the 2014 T20 World Cup.
Lasith Malinga is one of cricket's most distinctive fast bowlers — a right-arm pace bowler from Sri Lanka whose unique sling-arm, round-arm action allowed him to bowl at extremely full lengths with devastating yorkers. Born in Rathgama in 1983, Malinga played 30 Tests, 226 ODIs and 84 T20Is for Sri Lanka, taking 101 Test wickets, 338 ODI wickets at 28.84 and 107 T20I wickets — one of only a handful of bowlers to take 100 wickets in T20 international cricket. His unusual action made the ball arrive from an angle batters found extremely difficult to read.
T20 World Cup 2014
Malinga's greatest moment as captain came when he led Sri Lanka to the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. In the final against India at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Dhaka, Malinga bowled a match-winning spell in the final overs to restrict India and secure Sri Lanka's second T20 World Cup title. He was one of the most feared bowlers in T20 cricket at his peak — his combination of pace, unusual angles and pinpoint yorker made him almost impossible to hit in the final overs of a Twenty20 innings. His IPL record for Mumbai Indians was similarly dominant.
Four Wickets in Four Balls
In the 2007 Cricket World Cup against South Africa, Malinga took four wickets in four consecutive deliveries — dismissing Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini in a single over to almost pull off an astonishing comeback victory. South Africa still won, but the spell — four wickets in four balls in a World Cup match — was one of the most breathtaking sequences of bowling in cricket history. His 16 wickets in the 2007 World Cup were the most by any bowler in that tournament.
Frequently asked questions
What made Lasith Malinga's bowling action unique?
Malinga bowled with a sling-arm, round-arm action where his arm came from a very low position — unusual even among fast bowlers. This gave him a different angle of release that batters found extremely difficult to read, and allowed him to bowl lethal yorkers.
Did Malinga lead Sri Lanka to a World Cup victory?
Yes. Malinga captained Sri Lanka to the 2014 ICC T20 World Cup title in Bangladesh, defeating India in the final. It was Sri Lanka's second T20 World Cup title.
What is Malinga's famous achievement from the 2007 World Cup?
Malinga took four wickets in four consecutive balls against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup — dismissing Pollock, Hall, Kallis and Ntini. He is the only bowler to achieve this in a World Cup match.