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Lasith Malinga: Sri Lanka great, the most prolific bowler in men's T20 internationals, retires from cricket

Lasith Malinga retires at age of 38; seamer is most prolific bowler in men's T20 internationals with 107 wickets in 84 matches; Sri Lanka great only man to take three ODI hat-tricks and four wickets in four balls on two occasions in internationals; Malinga last played for country in 2020

Tuesday 14 September 2021 15:38, UK

Lasith Malinga (Associated Press)
Image: Lasith Malinga has retired from cricket at the age of 38

Sri Lanka great Lasith Malinga, the most prolific bowler in T20 international cricket, has announced his retirement at the age of 38.

The seamer, famed for his slingy bowling action and devastating yorkers, took 107 wickets in 84 T20Is and captained Sri Lanka to the T20 World Cup title in 2014, where they beat India in the final.

Malinga retired from Test cricket in 2011 and played his final one-day international in 2019 but continued to play T20s for his country.

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The paceman's most recent appearance came in a T20I at home to West Indies in March 2020.

"I've had many experiences throughout my career, and I want to share all of my experience in the future, especially with young cricketers," he said in a post on social media.

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Malinga is the only bowler to take three hat-tricks in ODI cricket, doing so against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup, Kenya in the 2011 World Cup and then against Australia later in 2011.

He is also the only man to claim four wickets in four balls on two occasions in internationals, achieving the feat in that aforementioned ODI against South Africa as well as in a T20 international against New Zealand in 2019.

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Malinga took 338 wickets in 226 ODIs and 101 wickets in 30 Test matches.

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