Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Malinga ready to quit after T20 debacle in India

Lasith Malinga said on Sunday (12) he was ready to stand down as Sri Lanka's Twenty20 skipper after the team's humiliating 2-0 loss to India in their latest foreign tour.

Returning from the series, the 36-year-old told reporters that Sri Lanka was just not good enough to make an impact in the 20 over game.


He said Sri Lankan bowlers weren't able to restrict opponents while the batsmen were incapable of putting up the 170 runs needed for a fighting chance in a match.

"We don't have that," Malinga said, adding that it was unfair to expect a winning performance from the team given they were ranked just ninth in the world when returned to the captaincy just over a year ago.

But he added that he was "ready to accept" his responsibility for the team's performance.

"I am ready any time. I am ready to quit," he said.

Malinga led Sri Lanka to the T20 World Cup title in 2014 and remained in charge until early 2016.

His return to the top job in December 2018 was a surprise as he had lost his spot in the team after recurring injuries forced him to sit out several tournaments.

Frictions were evident in the Sri Lankan team under Malinga's leadership, the Sunday Island newspaper reported.

"There seems to be deep divisions in the side. As captain, he has also sidelined his predecessors" including Thisara Perera and Angelo Mathews, the paper said.

The first match in Guwahati was abandoned after rain, but India won the second by India by seven wickets and the third by 78 runs.

More For You

Leona Lewis

Holiday fans celebrate Leona Lewis' One More Sleep topping the UK streaming charts

Youtube Screengrab

Leona Lewis beats Coldplay and Lily Allen to become UK’s most streamed British Christmas song of the century

Highlights:

  • Leona Lewis hits 190 million UK streams with One More Sleep
  • Coldplay and Lily Allen close behind in modern festive chart
  • Alexandra Burke’s Hallelujah still tops overall 21st-century Christmas sales
  • Official Charts reveal top 10 most popular UK festive tracks
  • Lewis continues Las Vegas Christmas residency through January

Leona Lewis’s One More Sleep has officially been named the most streamed British Christmas song of the 21st century. The 2013 festive hit, which reached number three on the UK singles chart, has now surpassed 190 million streams in the UK, according to the Official Charts Company.

Leona Lewis Holiday fans celebrate Leona Lewis' One More Sleep topping the UK streaming charts Youtube Screengrab

Keep ReadingShow less