Lasith Malinga Not Expecting To Be Part Of Sri Lanka 2019 World Cup Team

Sri Lanka lost the second One-day International (ODI) against England by 31 runs on Saturday. But veteran pacer Lasith Malinga returned to form, picking up 5-44 in the match. The special performance from the speedster earned him a lot of praise but the 35-year-old said after the match that he was unsure on representing the country in the 2019 World Cup. Malinga, who returned to the Sri Lanka ODI setup during the 2018 Asia Cup asserted that if given a chance, he will definitely play in the World Cup.

"I feel that if I get the chance to play the World Cup, I will – it will be my last World Cup. I'm not expecting to get the chance, given the kinds of things that have happened to me over the recent past. But I will take it if it is given," Malinga was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

Malinga marked his returned to Sri Lankan ODI after a gap of over a year during the recently concluded Asia Cup. The tournament ended on a poor note for the islanders as they were knocked out in the group stage of tournament. Malinga, in the two matches he played during the Asia cup took 5 wickets.

Talking on his performance since his comeback into the international arena Malinga said, "I'm just a player. My only job is to play when I get the chance. When I was out of the team, I went and played in Canada. I also played the district competition and got the highest wickets. Thanks to those performances I got another chance at this level. Because I'm nearing the end of my career I'm motivated to get wickets."

Sri Lanka are currently playing a 5-match ODI series against England. After the first match was abandoned due to rain, the Lankans lost the second match in Dambulla. The third between the two teams will be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, on October 17.

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