Rohit Sharma Pays Tribute To "Match Winner" Lasith Malinga As He Bids Adieu To ODIs

Rohit Sharma, India's frontline opening batsman took to Twitter to wish his Mumbai Indians' teammate Lasith Malinga as he bid adieu to One-Day International (ODI) cricket on Friday. "If I had to pick one match winner among many others for @mipaltan in the last decade, this man will be on the top for sure. As a captain he give me breather during tense situation and he never failed to deliver, such was his presence within the team. Best wishes LM for the future," Rohit Sharma wrote.

If I had to pick one match winner among many others for @mipaltan in the last decade, this man will be on the top for sure. As a captain he give me breather during tense situation and he never failed to deliver, such was his presence within the team. Best wishes LM for the future pic.twitter.com/gJJJKy8gL3

— Rohit Sharma (@ImRo45) July 26, 2019

Apart from Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah too tweeted a special message for his idol and Mumbai Indians' teammate. 

"Classic Mali spell Thank you for everything you've done for cricket. Always admired you and will always continue to do so," Bumrah tweeted.

Classic Mali spell Thank you for everything you've done for cricket. Always admired you and will always continue to do so .

— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) July 26, 2019

Lasith Malinga, 35, featured in his last ODI appearance in Colombo on Friday against Bangladesh in the first match of the three-match series. 

Malinga had already announced that he will play his final ODI against Bangladesh but will continue to play in the shortest format for Sri Lanka, especially with the T20 World Cup coming up next year.

In the match, Lasith Malinga was on the mark from the beginning as he dismissed Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal in the very first over of the innings.

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat. Kusal Perera smashed his fifth ODI ton as the hosts posted a competitive total of 314/8 in 50 overs. For Bangladesh, Shaiful Islam was the pick of the bowlers who took three wickets for 62 runs in nine overs.

Bangladesh were bowled out for 223 inside 42 overs as Sri Lanka registered an easy 91-run win. Malinga finished his last ODI with figures of three for 38.

Topics mentioned in this article

Sri Lanka Cricket Team Bangladesh Cricket Team Lasith Malinga Rohit Sharma Jasprit Bumrah Cricket