Picture Credit: Twitter
Lasith Malinga announced his retirement from all forms of the game on Tuesday. While he had already retired from Tests and ODIs, a decision to hang his T20 boots implies he will not be seen playing competitive cricket ever again. Malinga retires after having proved himself as one of the finest on the world stage and among his many stupendous achievements, he also led Sri Lanka to their only T20 World Cup win in 2014.
Overall, the right-arm pacer, with the characteristic slingy action, scalped 101 wickets in 30 Tests, 338 wickets in 226 ODIs and 107 wickets in 83 T20Is. With 170 wickets in 122 IPL matches, he is also the highest wicket-taker in IPL despite not being a part of the tournament for a few seasons now.
As soon as the news of Malinga retiring from international cricket was confirmed, all kinds of messages and tributes started doing the rounds on the Internet. While a few users termed him "The Best T20 bowler world have ever seen," he was also wished the best for his retirement life by fans all over the world.
"He will always be remembered for his toe-crushing yorkers! What a legend of the game! Thank you Lasith," another Twitter account quoted.
Check out some of the best reactions on Twitter here:
Earlier in the year, Malinga's IPL team Mumbai Indians had stated that Malinga had informed them of their decision to hang his T20 cricket boots and was thus, not retained in the squad this year. He last featured for Sri Lanka in March 2020, in a T20I against the West Indies. While there were reports that he could be considered for selection in the T20 World Cup, his name was not there as the team was announced for T20 World Cup last week.
Maling announced his retirement through a social media post.
"Hanging up my #T20 shoes and #retiring from all forms of cricket! Thankful to all those who supported me in my journey, and looking forward to sharing my experience with young cricketers in the years to come," he wrote adding a link to a video message from his.