Malinga may play on beyond T20 World Cup

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga has his sights set on captaining his country at the T20 World Cup in Australia next year, and possibly beyond, firm in the belief that his body has two more years of cricket left in the tank.

It is somewhat of a change in tune from the 36-year-old, who previously stated that he would retire after next year’s tournament.

Malinga, who stepped into the role for a second time when Sri Lanka left both former captain Angelo Mathews and the experienced Thisara Perera out of a youthful squad that took on New Zealand in September, seems to have been rejuvenated by leading the inexperienced side. But without official sign-off from SLC on his role at the 2020 event, Malinga is certainly not counting his chickens.

“[SLC] said for the World Cup I have to be lead there but you never know in Sri Lanka,” Malinga told ESPNcricinfo.

“T20 is four overs and I feel with my skill, I can manage T20 as a bowler. As a captain, because I’ve played so many T20s around the world that I feel I can manage that period for maybe another two years.”

And Malinga, the only man to 100 T20I wickets and first in history to reach a century of scalps in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, still believes he is more than capable of leading a youthful Sri Lanka team’s transition into a new era.

“Sri Lanka are lacking that skillful bowler, they lack those consistencies. We can’t get one year, one and a half years, all fixed, it might be that we need to get patience, maybe two or three years,” he said.