Sujan Rao
At 37, Lasith Malinga continues to be a match-winning weapon in the armoury of cricket teams.
In the T10 League so far, he has a striking economy rate of 7.75, the best among bowlers who have bowled more than six overs in the competition.
The Sri Lankan stalwart, in an interaction with Sportstar, shares his views about the demands of the format for fast bowlers, the value of variations, and more.
Q) In this ultra short format that is T10, is there room for much planning and strategising or is it more of instinct that takes over?
A) We can’t plan during the match. We have to get our mental preparation and planning before the match – for the right hander, for the left hander. During the match we have a basic plan. Suddenly, if we want to change [it], accordingly we set the field.
In T20, we have a planning before the match, but this game we have to get the bowling combination right. The six balls of an over, you have to manage that and the combination – how many balls you can bowl yorkers, how many balls can you bowl the slower ball, the straighter one, [etc.]. You have to get that mixture pre-planned. Then you can accordingly adjust according to the situation or condition. But you have to plan before the match…