I’m not the best bowler, but I like to bowl under pressure: Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga said that he doesn’t think he is the best bowler, but the main thing is he likes to play under pressure. “I bowl at the end of the powerplay, then come to bowl in the death overs. There’s no secret, just that I want to be there when the pressure is on. I understand pressure better now. That’s it. The batsman may know I am going to bowl a yorker or a slow ball now but he still has to hit it. Anytime the captain asks me, I have to be ready. My role is to bowl,” said Malinga to Hindustan Times.

Malinga also said that he was developing a new ball but haven’t used it yet. “I am waiting for the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. I want to use it then,” said the Sri Lankan, adding that he preferred T20 to Tests. “I also played Tests but then I got injured and my body couldn’t take it. Twenty20, 50 overs and Test cricket are different types of games. If we need to learn, we have to play Test cricket, like how to bowl reverse swing, how to bowl in different situations. In Tests, we have a lot of time to think and strategise. T20 is just one-and-half hours, it is important to think quickly and do it right. T20 is a mind game, Test is a mind and physical game and you need to have a good level of fitness.”

It has been an interesting IPL this season, with the teams clearly showing signs of having matured over the last five seasons, writes Yuvraj Singh in his column in The Times Of India. “The difference between teams has drastically reduced and that can not only be seen in the points table, but also in the number of close affairs that we have seen over the season. Matches are consistently going into the last over, making for not only thrilling viewing, but also causing a few palpitations for the captains and coaches,” writes Yuvraj, adding that one team which has caught his imagination is Team Mumbai.

“Three of their wins have been by one or two runs and their most recent victory against Chennai came off the last ball of the match, almost when everything looked lost for them.  It is an art to snatch wins from the jaws of defeat and so consistently at that, and Mumbai are currently doing it quite regularly,” he writes in TOI.

Aren’t Manchester United and Real Madrid the best teams in their leagues because they have the deepest pockets, and hence the best players? So, what’s the fuss about a level-playing field?, argues Akash Chopra in his column in HT.

“Both the Deccan Chargers and Kings XI refused to spend their full purse at the auctions and hence the bigger (read richer) teams walked away with the best talent. But just because some teams chose not to spend their money, doesn’t mean the Mumbai Indians and Super Kings can be called bullies. By far, the IPL governing council has done its bit to encourage fairness by allowing an equal purse to all the teams.”