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Friday Nov 15, 2024
Friday, 26 July 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Madushka Balasuriya
As Sri Lanka get set to take on Bangladesh later today, all eyes will rightfully be on Lasith Malinga ahead of his final ODI. But the Sri Lankan quick’s swansong will also have the added effect of bringing into focus the journey both these sides have been on over the last several years.
Since his debut, Malinga has faced Bangladesh in 14 ODIs, and tasted defeat just three times. As such, he remains probably the last member of the Sri Lanka squad, barring maybe Angelo Mathews, to remember having played Bangladesh when a Sri Lanka victory was considered a mere formality.
For the rest of the squad, though, these games have been much feistier affairs, spurred on by disputes over celebratory taunts, shattered dressing room doors, and coach swaps.
The last six completed ODIs between the two sides meanwhile have been evenly shared at three wins apiece - which is why it was such a shame their game at the World Cup was washed out. As such, it’s safe to say that this series is set to be the most competitive bilateral contest, ever, between the two nations.
Even so, Sri Lanka certainly come into the game with more problems than the visitors. A chronic inability to pick up wickets in the middle overs has left team management with their fingers perennially crossed over the return to form of Akila Dananjaya, while the batting order’s instability has long been a point of contention. Malinga’s imminent retirement only deepens their woes.
“He’s a legend,” surmised Sri Lanka Captain Dimuth Karunaratne of the departing Malinga, speaking on the eve of the first ODI. “I don’t think anyone can replace him. We actually asked to keep playing for a couple more years but he feels it’s the right time to call an end to his career, and give a chance for us to groom some youngsters for the [next] World Cup.
“The main thing is that whenever I gave him the ball, he would get wickets. He’s a wicket-taking bowler; if you take the World Cup, he took lots of wickets. After he retires, we need to find a bowler who can take wickets in the middle overs.”
Indeed, replacing someone of Malinga’s calibre is no easy task, with his influence going beyond simply that of Sri Lanka Cricket. Bangladesh Captain Tamim Iqbal highlighted this fact as he spoke of how Malinga’s entry into world cricket had shaped those around him as well.
“He has been a great ambassador of the game. He is one cricketer that after watching, a lot of young children have starting playing cricket. He is that kind of a figure, not only in Sri Lankan Cricket but around the world. I still remember when he first came into the scene, especially back in Bangladesh, people wanted to bowl like him,” stated Tamim.
“Even when we were playing Sri Lanka we used to look for which player had a similar action like Malinga. That is kind of an impact he has made on world cricket.”
Turning to matters on the field, Tamim certainly has less to worry about than his Sri Lankan counterpart. Despite an underwhelming World Cup that started out so well, Bangladesh have by far the more settled side. Even without stars such as Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza and Liton Das, they have built enough strength in depth to put out arguably the stronger of the two teams, and while Tamim was keen to avoid the favourites tag in the build-up, the fact that the team will be disappointed with anything other than a win shows how far they’ve come.
“About Bangladesh being favourite or not, I really don’t like giving that tag to anyone. I think Sri Lanka is a very good team, especially at home, and they have played some really good cricket in the World Cup too.
“Same goes for us, we have been playing some serious cricket for a couple of years now, and we did well in Sri Lanka when we toured last time. It’s more likely that whoever executes things better on the day will have the upper hand.”
The match will get underway at 2:30 pm today at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo,
