Sri Lankan star fast bowler Lasith Malinga announced on Friday he was ready to sacrifice earnings from the Indian Premier League to secure a place in his country's ODI World Cup squad.
Malinga is the highest wicket-taker in the IPL, having taken a total of 154 wickets in 110 matches, since the tournament started in 2008. He was purchased for the upcoming IPL season by Mumbai Indians for Rs 2 crore.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Malinga said, "Once I become available for Mumbai Indians, I would have missed seven or eight games. So, there's probably no point in them waiting around for me. Better for them to find someone else to replace me with." Sri Lanka Cricket, the country's governing body for the game, had recently made it mandatory for players to compete in a 50-over domestic tournament if they wanted to be considered for the 15-man ODI World Cup squad. Malinga is the captain of the Sri Lankan ODI and T20I squads.
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Speaking about the new requirements by Sri Lanka Cricket, Malinga said, “So I told them (the board) I'd play in the provincial tournament, and I asked the board to inform Mumbai Indians and IPL, since it was their decision. I'm ok with losing those earnings from IPL. I'm doing it for the country."
The ODI World Cup, being hosted in England, will start on May 30.
International retirement next year
In a related development, Malinga announced he would retire from international cricket after the T20I World Cup in Australia in October-November 2020. Malinga had previously announced he would retire from ODIs after the World Cup in England. Malinga had retired from Test cricket in 2011.
