Sri Lanka T20I skipper Lasith Malinga demonstrated his impeccable white-ball skills yet again, grabbing four wickets in four balls to power his side to a 37-run win in the third T20I against New Zealand. It was a record fifth hat-trick for Malinga in international cricket.
He might not be his fittest self at 36, and his pace might have dropped a few notches, but the accuracy and skills remain undiminished. Batting first in the third and final T20I of the series, hosts Sri Lanka could manage only 125-8 in their 20 overs. With his side already having lost the series, Malinga took it upon himself to produce an inspiring spell of fast bowling, rattling the opposition within the first three overs.
He first castled opener Colin Munro with his trademark yorker, having pushed him onto the back foot with a bouncer just before. The wicket made him the only man to get to 100 T20I wickets.
Most ODI hat-tricks (3) : Lasith Malinga
Most T20I hat-tricks (2): Lasith Malinga
Most International hat-tricks (5) : Lasith Malinga
Most CWC hat-tricks (2): Lasith Malinga👑of 🎩-tricks Lasith Malinga🐐 #LasithMalinga #WWWW pic.twitter.com/TuCZLYXVCv
— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) September 6, 2019
He soon made it 101, trapping left-hander Hamish Rutherford with a similar delivery after opting for a review.
Next in Malinga’s sights was all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme, who had played a match-winning knock in the previous two games. A sharp in-swinger moved just a little after pitching, breaching the batsman’s defense, and giving the veteran his second T20I hat-trick.
On Friday, with himself in red-hot form and New Zealand’s lower order batting, he could have added a few more to his kitty. However, he persisted with young spinners Wanidu Hasaranga and Lakshan Sandakan, giving Sandakan especially an extended run despite him being hit for three sixes in a single over by Tim Southee.
History maker #Malinga. Simply amazing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) September 6, 2019
Simon Doull, the former New Zealand fast bowler, was impressed. “That just perfectly sums up his character,” Doull said on air. “It just reflects the kind of person he is. He’s a phenomenal team player.”
It was reflected further what Malinga said after the game: “All the younger players who played with me, could see it with their own eyes,” he said about his performance. “I think that could have been an inspiration to them and maybe they also think that they can do something like this. That’s what an up-and-coming player needs – to see something happen, and train towards that.”
