IPL or Sri Lanka; selectors give Malinga ultimatum
By Hilal Suhaib | April 20, 2011
Lasith Malinga has a choice to make;will it be Mumbai or Sri Lanka? AFP PHOTO/William WEST.
Lasith Malinga’s reluctance to play Test cricket, but not Twenty20 cricket at the Indian Premier League (IPL) has irked Sri Lanka’s chief selector Duleep Mendis.
Mendis has given the bowler an ultimatum to return to the island and attend to his injury, if he’s unavailable to represent Sri Lanka, or face the risk of never representing the country again.
"It looks a bit awkward when someone says he is injured and continues to play cricket," Mendis said, speaking to reporters from Colombo.
"That is the reason why we have decided to write to Malinga and ask him to return home and undergo a rehabilitation programme.
"Malinga has specifically mentioned in a letter that he is not available for Test matches right now because he has a nagging knee problem.
"When the player says that he is injured and he has to undergo a rehab programme what we can do is to tell him to undergo it immediately, without continuing to play cricket in the IPL, and then get ready for cricket in Sri Lanka if he is interested in playing for his country."
Malinga is currently playing for the Mumbai Indians in the fourth season of the IPL, where his workload is limited to four-over spells per match. In comparison, the number of overs he would be required to complete in a single Test match nears his entire quota of overs in a full IPL season, making his decision to not play the five-day format, in order to prolong his career, a logical one.
“They don’t wake up with sore knees every morning like I do and they did not spend over a year worrying whether I would ever be able to bowl again,” Malinga said, responding to his critics in an interview with Island Cricket, earlier this year.
“It is not a question of whether Test cricket is more or less important. It is a question of what is physically possible and what the team feels is the most sensible thing to do."
In a letter dated November 24, 2010, which Island Cricket has in its possession, to the then chairman of selectors Aravinda de Silva (also copied to the captain, coach and manager), physio Tommy Simsek wrote: “Lasith’s participation in Test matches is a matter entirely between Lasith and the selectors.
“Lasith is likely to get fatigue induced knee soreness from time to time when fielding or bowling for prolonged periods.
“Furthermore, the more cricket Lasith plays, the quicker his knees will continue to degenerate and hence is likely shorten his career.
“However, I will not say that Lasith should not be playing Test Matches. Once again, I would like to re-iterate, that this is a decision to be made between the selectors and Lasith himself,” Simsek added, in closing.
It is unclear if Mendis and the new selection panel, who were appointed just last week, are aware that no remedial work is possible for Malinga's condition and that the decision is Malinga's alone, considering that his condition determines the longevity of his career.
However, with Sri Lanka Cricket locking horns with the BCCI, requesting the early return of the players from the IPL and rejecting the Indian Board’s request to allow them to continue until May 20, speculation is rife that this ultimatum given to Malinga may have a lot to do with recent events involving Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and their Indian counterparts.
© Island Cricket
Comments
He should retire from tests. There's no point going back on forth. Its not he can bowl on 1 day and not bowl rest of the 4 days .Its a risk for him and its a risk for the country and wasting a spot in the bowling line up. What malinga should do is clearly state his position and retire or continue playing tests. Its fair for SLC to give Malinga an ultimatum especially when hes doing well and asking to leave out from the test squad. Nothing bad should come up with this. Better clear up everything before something nasty happens.
Has SLC gone power mad, just like Rajapakshe? Do they know what freedom means? Malinga is a free agent and should be allowed to make his choices for the future as he knows his body the best. Will SLC compensate him for possible future earnings, if he suffers a career ending injury playing Tests? SLC can hardly pay its own bills and balance a budget. Malinga has to protect his interest first by earning as much as he can (while his body permits), in a less demanding format like T20. SLC cannot fight a proxy war with BCCI through players. It will destroy the team.
This is just stupid from the selectors. He made it clear he doesn't want to play Test cricket. If he feels he is unfit, then his decision should be respected. Why can't a player get to choose what formats he wants to play in? Many players retire from one format and continue with another. This all seems to stemming from the problems the admin is having with BCCI.
hi,
I think there is so much cricket being played now at such high level that needs so much physical fitness that it is humanly diffuclt or impossible to participate in all three forms of the game with such frequency.
Wheher Mailinga plays or not is not a decision for the selectors to make but a decision to made by Medical Advise. Only a very high profesional medical team will know how bad his injury is, how much ha can play and how often.
Apart from that I think the whole Cricket Board need to be cleaned up and need to be free of any political influence. Example the world cup Ticket Sales, what happened here. The public like to know the truth.
We need true patriots running the cricket board and should be accountable with audited Annual accounts.
How would you expect the Cricketers to be honest and paly clean if the Adminstrators are Not ? Please note Trevor Bayliss rematks.
We need patriots who are strong enough to stand by there principles and speak up fearlessly ireespective of losing the the job and the perks .
My advise to the board is to be fearless stand up and speak the truth. Only then we can mould the young geenrations of Cricketers by example to be real patriot and serve the country.
It is time to stand up and speak the truth . Be a real patriot, be fearless and serve the country. Be a true patriot have the guts to speak up. It is time . The public is really fed up and dont beleive the admintrations. Change the culture to true patriotism. Satnd up and speak.
27 March 2010
7 weeks 6 days
Malinga, for the sake of your career, officially retire from Test cricket.
I don't know how these mad SLC officials will take it (they may hold a grudge in the future), but still you have to do what you have to do.
2 April 2011
23 weeks 3 days
I'm also baffled why he hasn't officially retired from Test cricket yet. I thought everyone was aware he can't last in Test cricket.
I think, the best way IPL can deal with these issues is push the ball back to the Board's field by coming up with a clause that the IPL will pay 10% of the player's value back to their board.
I am very sure the Country Vs Club talks and all rubbish and mere politics at the moment. If the above clause is made, then the board themselves make necessary arrangements to pick up alternate players and let the IPL guys to continue.
Can the IPL look into this?
Elan
3 December 2010
3 hours 29 min
Malinga should make himself clear, either retire or make himself available for Tests if he doesnt.Given his state its a decision he alone has to take but he has to make himself clear first.
SLC has the right to question his decisions, because he is a category 4 'contracted player'.
I personally feel though that Malinga still can offer a lot in Tests as well, if properly managed.If you take the SL team, no matter which part of the world they play in, the majority of bowling is done by the spinners.And Malinga has bowled on average only 15 overs per inning in Tests in the period prior to his injury(2004-07). Malinga can be effective in short spells too. I feel that its only the uncertainty of his future, if he does play Tests, that is making Malinga back away.
But anyway its his choice.Hope Nuwan Pradeep comes good.
29 August 2009
2 weeks 4 days
Stuff Malinga! Country comes first than anything else. SLC is correct. If he is injured he should be rehabilitated, that is SLC responsibility.
I always believe all SL players in IPL should be capped for limited games and if they breach the cap they should be taxed for higher rate. That money should invest in other areas like medical bills etc...
Malinga supporters pl. answer this question? When someone gets injured while playing IPL, who should pay for the recovery bills? I still think SL taxpayers pay for it not IPL.
Let him stick with shorter format, if we try hard can find lot of slingers, there are lot of slingers in softball six a side field, just go there and find and groom them( without political influence). Malinga should not forget hIs past. NAGGA INIMAGATA PAING GAHANDA EPA.
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