Veteran Sri Lankan pace bowler Lasith Malinga will retire from ODIs after the first game of the three-match series against Bangladesh, skipper Dimuth Karunaratne said on Monday.
Malinga was named in the 22-man Sri Lanka squad for the series, with matches scheduled for July 26, 28 and 31.
However, speaking at the press conference in the Sri Lankan capital, Karunaratne confirmed that the 36-year old fast bowler and former captain would only appear in the first ODI.
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“He is going to play the first match, after that he is retiring. That’s what he said to me. I don’t know what he said to the selectors,” said Karunaratne.
Malinga, 35, will leave as Sri Lanka’s third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 335 scalps in 219 innings so far. Only Muttiah Muralitharan (523) and Chaminda Vaas (399) have taken more.
He was Sri Lanka’s highest wicket-taker at the World Cup, claiming 13 scalps in seven innings.
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Malinga retired from Test cricket in 2011, but continued to play in other formats.