Retire, because you don’t deserve a ‘sack’
View(s):Dear Malinga,
You are a champion. There isn’t an iota of a doubt about that. Your lethal yorkers were a curse to batsmen the world around, but a treat to watch. You left them bewildered. They knew you’d try to york every ball but still struggled to read them early enough.
Your 107 wickets, the highest by any international cricketer, are testimony to your contribution. We saw you fight your way back from a chronic knee injury. Anyone else would have given up. You defied the odds to be a champion.
When you took five wickets for six runs against New Zealand last year, including four in four balls, we thought you were back. But, at 36, you seem hard pressed to handle the pressure of this shortest format. When Andre Russell dispatched your yorkers to the stands with minimum fuss, we felt for you. You don’t deserve this, for you once wreaked havoc in the minds of batsmen.
Yet here’s what we have seen in recent months. In Australia, you showed some control and took two wickets. But in India, you were treated with abject disregard. They collected 81 runs off your eight overs. It was worse against the West Indies when you, as the main strike bowler, conceded 83 runs in seven overs.
In your last seven matches, you picked up just three wickets, giving away 246 runs at an astounding average of 82. It is something the selectors will have to consider as we prepare for the qualifying round of the World T20 tournament.
We know you want to play the World T20 and retire with a bang. But do you, at this age, have what it takes to play a format which demands much more commitment than Tests or ODI cricket? You admit there’s no room for error in this format. Players must be fitter and more committed.
You are an experienced and skillful bowler. You even won the IPL title for Mumbai Indians in a last-over thriller last year. But are you past your prime? Other cricketers appear to have improved their fielding and fitness levels. You don’t seem bothered.
When Lendl Simmons chipped a slower one from Isuru Udana to mid-off in the first match, you displayed no interest in taking the catch. Had you done so, we might have restricted them to a par score. We do understand that, at 36, you cannot do as you did in your early 20s. As a professional cricketer, however, you should lead by example. Take Pollard, your opposing captain. He was electrifying in the field. Take Virat Kohli, the Indian skipper, who has set sterling standards.
Unlike in the past, cricket is fiercely competitive. Sides rely heavily on excellent fitness levels, scientific coaching and well-planned strategies based on technological and technical studies of opponents. It was delightful to watch the Sri Lanka team exhibiting exceptional commitment on the field with a strong sense of self-discipline, courage and teamwork during the recent series. Your lethargy stood out.
Your record as captain is horrendous. The team continues to plunge under your leadership. We suffered 13 losses with just one win since you took over the captaincy from Dinesh Chandimal in 2018. Seven of these are consecutive defeats.
We know it is not entirely your fault. Sri Lanka Cricket has failed to answer pressing issues like conducting a domestic T20 league, something all other top cricket playing countries have. But when the captain misses catches, does not bowl well and leaks runs on the field, can you expect your charges to do better? It was also clear that you don’t command the support Dimuth Karunaratne has as Test and ODI captain.
Players appear to be pulling in different directions, at times with blessings of team officials and the Maitland Place headquarters. Your family and Thisara Perera’s family openly traded allegations on social media. We know that your relations with some senior players are not ideal.
A few months ago, we thought Sri Lanka needed Malinga, the bowler, not Malinga, the captain. As things have panned out, however, it would seem Sri Lanka cricket can do without you.
Would it not be better for you to now graciously retire from the game with your head held high than let selectors make that call for you? You don’t deserve to be sacked. You are a legend. And the ball is in your court now.
Yours truly,
12th Man