Mumbai Indians held their nerves at crucial moments to eke out a narrow 10-run victory over Somerset in the second semi-final of the Champions League Twenty20, on Saturday, and set up a summit clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.
Several senior players, including Sanath Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga, Chamara Kapugedera and Ajantha Mendis, were left out for next month's tri-series with Bangladesh and India. Former captain Mahela Jayawardene, spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, all-rounder Angelo Mathews and fast bowler Dilhara Fernando were not available due to injury.
Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni blamed himself for the three-wicket loss to Mumbai Indians in their Champions League Twenty20 opener on Saturday, saying had he not missed Lasith Malinga's stumping chance the home team would have won the match.
Mike Hussey's fluent half-century went in vain as tail-ender Lasith Malinga produced a whirlwind 18-ball 37-run run knock to hand Mumbai Indians a thrilling three wicket win over defending champions Chennai Super Kings in a Champions League Twenty20 match on Saturday.
Despite bagging a career-best 6-38 in the World Cup match against Kenya on Tuesday, Lasith Malinga rates the hat-trick against South Africa in the last World Cup better.
Lasith Malinga has been taken to the cleaners for the second time in three games, but skipper Mahela Jayawardene backed the express bowler after his eight overs cost Sri Lanka 74 runs in the first final of the tri-series in Brisbane.
A woeful India out of the equation, Australia and Sri Lanka will battle it out in best-of-three finals with the spirited islanders well-equipped to upstage the hosts in the summit clashes starting on Sunday.
Lasith Malinga became the first bowler to take three One-day international hat-tricks as Sri Lanka beat Australia by four wickets in the fifth and final match of their series on Monday.
India medium pacer R Vinay Kumar is not on anyone's mind and he would just like it the way it is as long as his skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni keeps turning to him and batsmen keep nibbling at his swinging deliveries.
It was the first ever tie between India and Sri Lanka in the history of One-day Internationals.
Sri Lanka dropped veteran Sanath Jayasuriya and spinner Ajantha Mendis from their 15-member squad for the Asia Cup tournament starting in Colombo from June 15.
Lasith Malinga claimed five wickets as Sri Lanka beat Scotland by 183 runs in the one-day international tri-series, also featuring Ireland, at the Grange Cricket Club ground in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
Indian youngster Virat Kohli emerged as the top batsman in One-Day Internationals in 2011, while Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga took home the bowling honours.
Sri Lanka's Twenty20 captain and strike bowler Lasith Malinga has hinted that he might call time on his international career after the International Cricket Council World T20 in India as he is finding it difficult to manage a grave knee injury.
Check out how these cricketers decorate their bodies.
Deccan Chargers skipper Kumar Sangakkara said playing for the nation is supreme but country vs club situation could be avoided if a window is created for the Indian Premier League in the ICC's FTP calender.
Sri Lanka pacer Lasith Malinga rubbished suggestions that he retired from Test cricket to able to earn some quick money by playing in cash-awash tournaments such as Indian Premier League.
Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga on Tuesday blamed the country's cricket administration led by the former captain Arjuna Ranatunga for aggravating his knee injury that forced him to retire from Test cricket.
Will India go into the 3rd T20I vs Sri Lanka with the same squad or will Sanju Samson and Manish Pandey get a look in?
After lining up on opposite sides in the memorable World Cup final earlier this month, Sachin Tendulkar and Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga, playing as a combined unit for Mumbai Indians, pose a major threat for a struggling Kochi Tuskers Kerala in an IPL match in Mumbai on Friday.
Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga, who grabbed Indian Premier League season 4's first five-wiclet haul, on Sunday said that he is not intimidated by any of the world-class batsmen in action at the IPL, including Delhi dasher Virender Sehwag.
Lasith Malinga bowled yorkers at will as his deadly five-wicket burst helped Mumbai Indians crush Delhi Daredevils by eight wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match in New Delhi on Sunday.
IMAGES from the ICC World Cup match played between India and Sri Lanka at Headingley, Leeds, on Saturday
The total they put on board didn't seem like a winning one but Mumbai Indians captain Harbhajan Singh said gamechanger Lasith Malinga proved to be the key as his depleted team lifted the Champions League Twenty20 trophy by beating the more fancied Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Having clinched a nail-biting victory over Chennai Super Kings, the Harbhajan Singh-led, Mumbai Indians will be hoping to continue their winning run in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament when they take on Trinidad and Tobago in Bangalore on Saturday.
Having clinched a nail-biting victory over Chennai Super Kings, the Harbhajan Singh-led, Mumbai Indians will be hoping to continue their winning run in the Champions League Twenty20 tournament when they take on Trinidad and Tobago in Bangalore on Saturday.
Sri Lanka's young team are good enough to be competitive in the One-day tri-series in Bangladesh this month, coach Trevor Bayliss said on Sunday.
Bikash Mohapatra believes that South Africa's Dale Steyn's secret of success lies in him bowling in short spells.
Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga, on Thursday, backed his Mumbai Indians team-mate Sachin Tendulkar's idea of revamping the ODIs, by splitting 50 overs into four innings and said it will give bowlers a chance to reverse swing the ball quite often and negate batsmen's advantage.
Leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay will replace the injured Lasith Malinga in Sri Lanka's cricket squad for the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 in India.
Skipper Kumara Sangakkara couldn't thank Lasith Malinga enough after the slinger brought Sri Lanka's World Cup campaign back on track with a solid bowling performance in their Group A match against Kenya in Colombo on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga became the first man to bag two hat-tricks in World Cups when he skittled out three Kenyan tail-enders in their Group A match on Tuesday. He finished with figures of 6 for 38.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has refused to give No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to pacer Mustafizur Rahman after he was approached by IPL franchises, in view of the national side's scheduled tour of Sri Lanka beginning next month, according to reports.
After months of being home due to the lockdown, Jasprit Bumrah is hitting his stride at the Mumbai Indians nets in Abu Dhabi.
Veteran Yuvraj Singh was seen holding the IPL trophy even as a few fans chanted 'Bumrah Bumrah' along the way.
For MI's top-scorer Kieron Pollard, it was Jasprit Bumrah and Lasith Malinga's 19th and 20th overs that made the difference.
Sri Lanka have named Tillakaratne Dilshan as captain after deciding to rest several senior players for their tri-series in Zimbabwe in June. Normal captain Kumar Sangakkara, vice-captain Muttiah Muralitharan, former captain Mahela Jayawardene and fast bowler Lasith Malinga were all rested for the three-nation tournament.
Images from the ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights match between India and Sri Lanka, in St Lucia, on Tuesday.
Angelo Mathews and Lasith Malinga put on a One-day International record 132 runs for the ninth wicket to fire Sri Lanka to a remarkable one-wicket victory over Australia on Wednesday.
After 44 matches, Lasith Malinga is now IPL-IV's most valuable player with a MVPI of 454.
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