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 Indian Premier League-12 final played between Mumbai and Chennai in Hyderabad on Sunday
Root said that spinning tracks will throw challenges to the visiting team but they are adapting to the conditions quickly.
Bikash Mohapatra believes that South Africa's Dale Steyn's secret of success lies in him bowling in short spells.
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.
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.
After 44 matches, Lasith Malinga is now IPL-IV's most valuable player with a MVPI of 454.
Paul Valthaty continues to be IPL 4's most valuable player (MVPI 376), but Lasith Malinga (350), with the purple cap and Virat Kohli (327), with his newly-earned orange cap, are fast rising up the ranks.
Images from the World Cup Group A match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Melbourne.
Battling back spasms and forgettable batting form, he led fellow warriors to do a miracle in the middle.
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.
With World Cup final barely hours away, here's a look at the key clashes between the two Asian giants.
Rajneesh Gupta brings you all the numbers from the just concluded IPL-12.
Master batsman Sachin Tendulkar was seen sporting a new look at India's practice session in Motera on Tuesday. Taking a cue from some of his teammates, the master batsmen dyed his curly locks brown.
Playing tennis-ball cricket in his formative years has helped him bowl his yorkers with good control, revealed Mumbai Indians pacer Jasprit Bumrah.
Images from the World Cup match between Kenya and Sri Lanka played in Colombo on Tuesday.
Lasith Malinga turned into a one-man hit squad as he became the first man to bag two World Cup hat-tricks to lead Sri Lanka to a crushing nine-wicket victory over Kenya on Tuesday.
Chasing 279 for victory, Sri Lanka overcame Woakes's triple strikes to reach 140-5 in 29 overs when heavy rain stopped play and England won the match under the scoring method governing such rain-marred matches.
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.
Sri Lanka eased to a 26-run victory in the third one-dayer against West Indies to wrap up the series 2-0 on Sunday.
Sri Lankan cricket and the island's once-powerful side arrive at the World Cup struggling for form under a newly appointed captain who has played a single One-day international since 2015.
Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was, on Wednesday, fined 10 per cent of his match fee for "inappropriate public comments" about an umpire's decision.
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.
Two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders would be eager to avenge their twin defeats in the league stage when they face old foes Mumbai Indians in the IPL Qualifer 2 in Bengaluru, on Friday.
Images from the ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights match between India and Sri Lanka, in St Lucia, on Tuesday.
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.
High on confidence after their emphatic victory over England, the West Indies will once again look for an explosive knock from Chris Gayle to inch closer to a semi-final berth when they take on defending champions Sri Lanka in a World Twenty20 Super 10 Group 1 match in Bengaluru on Sunday.
Check out the Mumbai Indians squad for IPL 2014.
Lost in transition, defending champions Sri Lanka will look to come out of the rut and start well against a spirited Afghanistan in their World Twenty20 Super 10 opener at Eden Gardens on Thursday. The defending champions, who were also runners-up in 2009 and 2012, have managed to win only four of their 14 matches since they beat India to win the 2014 edition in Mirpur. They are in the middle of a transition phase after Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene's exit. The build-up to the tournament was also forgettable with series defeats in New Zealand and India followed by an early ouster in Asia Cup. To add to the misery, their 2014 WT20 winning skipper Lasith Malinga has stepped down as leader of the team, following concern over his slow recovery from a knee injury. Now Test and ODI skipper Angelo Mathews' task is cutout. Having joined the squad on Tuesday, Malinga is a doubtful starter for the match. His presence in the team would impact the team a lot.
Kings XI Punjab will once again be facing a 'do-or-die' situation during their penultimate round encounter against table toppers Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Opener David Warner thumped a maiden Twenty20 international century as Australia kicked off their home summer with a ruthless 134-run thrashing of Sri Lanka, at Adelaide Oval, on Sunday.
Mumbai Indians have arguably the best death-overs exponents in Jaspreet Bumrah and Lasith Malinga, while boasting an explosive all-rounder in Hardik Pandya.
The dreaded duo of Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan will be missing from the Sri Lankan bowling attack but Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday said their absence does not make his batsmen's job any easy in the second cricket Test starting in Colombo on Monday.
With the individual brilliance of just-retired Muttiah Muralitharan and Lasith Malinga missing, Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara on Sunday said his team will have to build bowling partnerships to trouble the Indians in the second cricket Test starting in Colombo on Monday.
Sri Lanka have decided to rest strike bowler Lasith Malinga for the first Test against West Indies in Galle which starts on Monday.
Getting the wicket of "dangerman" Virender Sehwag early on Wednesday will be crucial for Sri Lanka's chance of winning the first cricket Test, according to spinner Rangana Herath, who stole the spotlight with an unbeaten 80.
Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been included in the 16-member squad for the three-Test series against India, starting at Galle on July 18. He made his last Test appearance in December 2007 against England.
High on confidence after their third consecutive win, Mumbai Indians will hold a clear edge over the inconsistent Delhi Daredevils in their key Indian Premier League match at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
