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India vs Sri Lanka: Captain Lasith Malinga registers dubious record after Pune thrashing
IND vs SL: After the end of Pune T20I, Lasith Malinga blamed himself for the drubbing against India but admitted that leading an inexperienced side is affecting his performance.
Sri Lanka skipper Lasith Malinga jumped to the top spot in an unwanted list after his team was thrashed in the third T20I at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Friday. India crushed Sri Lanka by 78 runs in the final T20I to take the series 2-0 (the first match was abandoned without a ball being bowled). Courtesy of this loss, Malinga has now registered a dubious record in the shortest format of the game.
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Malinga has won just 8 matches out of 22 in which he has led the team. His win percentage is 31.8%, which is the lowest for a captain in T20Is (minimum 20 matches). Malinga surpassed former Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan in this unwanted list.
Lowest win rate (%) as skipper in T20Is (minimum 20 matches)
31.8: Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
33.3: Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
34.8: Mushfiqur Rahim (Bangladesh)
35.7: Mashrafe Mortaza (Bangladesh)
36.7: Carlos Brathwaite (West Indies)
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After the end of the match, Malinga blamed himself for the drubbing against India but admitted that leading an inexperienced side is affecting his performance. The veteran pacer said lack of early wickets and partnerships were the main reasons behind their meek surrender.
“We lost 2-0. I have to perform well, because I have experience playing T20 cricket, but I didn’t get a single wicket in this tournament, that is why we are in this situation, 65-70 per cent (of the times),” said the 36-year-old Malinga, who returned figures of 0/40 and 0/41 in Pune and Indore, respectively.
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“I am the most experienced player in the team in T20s. Yes, I have the pressure to get wickets because I am a wicket-taking bowler, but I feel if we want to win the match we have to get one-two wickets early in first six overs, we didn’t get that in this tournament,” he rued.
((With PTI inputs))
