Sri Lanka drop IPL star Malinga to end country's 'final' torment

Now that the dust has settled and distraught Sri Lankan supporters have found the time to put some emotional distance between their World T20 debacle and their feelings for their cricketing stars – it is time to really take stock.

Just so we know the score, the West Indies defeated Sri Lanka in the final in Colombo, defending a total of 139 with ease.

That total of 139 has to be put in to perspective. The Windies batting first scored 30-odd runs of the first 10 overs.

This website predicted before the start of the World T20 that Lasith Malinga had turned from Sri Lanka’s weapon to Sri Lanka’s weakness.

Ajantha Mendis played six matches at the World Cup, took 15 wickets at an average of 9.80 with an economy rate of 6.12.

He was not only Lanka’s best bowler, he was the best bowler at the World T20 overall.

In the final Malinga bowled four overs and gave 54 runs at 13.50 per over with no wicket.

Mahela Jayawardena resigned as captain, but what of Malinga?

Lasith Malinga wreaked havoc since he burst into international cricket in 2004 because of his toe-crushing yorkers delivered with a rare round-arm action.

But one of the most feared bowlers in the limited overs version has been taken to cleaners. By Indian batsmen first and then in a World Cup final by Marlon Samuels.

Virender Sehwag attributed this to the advent of IPL (Indian Premier League) where Malinga has been a regular feature.

At the time Sehwag had said: "I guess IPL has been a factor. The Indian players have played a lot against Malinga."

Malinga has failed to deliver the goods against India although he has been a star in the IPL where he turns out for Mumbai Indians.

In this year's tournament, he took 22 wickets at an average of 15.90. He has captured a total of 83 wickets in 56 matches in the four editions of the tournament.

The only bowler to take four wickets in consecutive deliveries - a feat he achieved during the 2007 World Cup - Malinga seems to have become a spent bullet.

He announced his retirement from Test cricket in April 2011 to prolong his career in limited-overs matches and was appointed brand ambassador by the International Cricket Council for the Twenty20 World Cup.

Cricket has always had individual rivalries most often associated with a bowler having a batsmen’s number: Donald v Atherton, Warne v Culinnan,  Zaheer v Smith, Ajmal v Englishmen; but the reverse can also be true.

A batsman can always have the edge over a bowler. 

Now the cricketing world seems to have figured out Malinga and Virat Kohli and the Windies have his number.

India plundered 96 runs in just 7.4 overs against Malinga to chase down a formidable target of 320 in 36 overs during the Commonwealth Bank ODI Series in Australia.

The runs Malinga conceded in that game was the most he has conceded in his eight-year ODI career, and his economy-rate of 12.52 in the match was the worst for any bowler who has conceded over 80 runs in an ODI game.

Despite his inconsistent performance in this series, he was the leading wicket-taker with 18 scalps in 11 games but went at 6.21 runs per over.

He was left out of the Asia Cup clash against India in Bangladesh.

Sure Mahela Jayawardena, not surprisingly, became the first casualty after Sri Lanka choked in a World Cup final for the fourth time to hand West Indies their first major trophy in over three decades.

"I'm disappointed for fans that came in large numbers for failing to execute a good game plan," Mahela said, after his decision to bring Malinga proved costly.

"I brought him on after 12 overs in the hope of taking a wicket. It backfired. That's cricket. I don't think he does it purposely," he said when asked why Malinga fails to deliver at crucial moments.

A disappointed fan Lanka de Silva said Malinga should be banished from the team.

"He has become a liability for the Sri Lanka team. He only plays well in the IPL," he said.

Should not Malinga be the next to go?

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