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Malinga retires from tests

Bun

Banned
He's never been a force in tests tbh. And good on him to concentrate on the stuff he excels in. Expecting more and more bowlers to follow his and Tait's way.
 

Athlai

Not Terrible
Disappointing but you could see it was coming. Bowler like him seems to breakdown in Test cricket, and with so many more options these days to earn your money in cricket it makes sense to give it up.

We might see a lot of fast bowlers give up Test cricket earlier than you'd typically want with the rise of T20 $$$
 

Himannv

International Coach
Should have done this officially sometime back I reckon. Anyway our bowling attack in tests takes a massive hit.
 

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
Nah, with his knee and such, you knew it was going to happen soon (though I didn't think THIS soon). Plus it's hard to pass up years and more money for a potential one-more-and-bust Test series.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
Very disappointing. Kid's like 27? Shouldn't even have peaked much less retired.

As for his action, it's unconventional, but he's not a unit like Tait or Fred, so I don't think it's necessarily to blame for his knee. If he was suffering from shoulder ligament woes I could maybe see it, but my guess is it's a genetic weakness.

As for him not being a force in tests; he's a sight better than the other SL seam options that I've seen.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
Very disappointing. Kid's like 27? Shouldn't even have peaked much less retired.

As for his action, it's unconventional, but he's not a unit like Tait or Fred, so I don't think it's necessarily to blame for his knee. If he was suffering from shoulder ligament woes I could maybe see it, but my guess is it's a genetic weakness.

As for him not being a force in tests; he's a sight better than the other SL seam options that I've seen.
This
 

shivfan

Banned
I think it's pretty obvious to most of us that Malinga's retirement was caused by Sri Lanka's board calling him back from the IPL for a fitness test....

This problem is similar to the one involving Gayle and the WICB. When will the WICB and SLC realise that they can't compete with the IPL? The money offered by the IPL is much more than what these boards can pay....

There's only one way out of this, and poorer boards like the WICB and SLC are going to have to accept the IPL, and work around the IPL schedule, and make sure they don't accept any international series that clashes with the IPL. Otherwise, they will lose players like Malinga and Gayle, and it's not worth it....

Sure, the ECB and Cricket Australia seem to be keen to take on the IPL, but let them! The poorer boards shouldn't fight their battles for them, because they're the ones who suffer the most. It's time that the WICB and SLC worth with the IPL, and not against them.
 

M0rphin3

International Debutant
Yeah was just a matter of time tbh. Wonder how weak SL's bowling resources would be without him especially in the pace department.
 

Dissector

International Debutant
Yeah I don't blame Malinga. It's his career and he has to look out for himself but I worry about what this means for the future of test bowling, particularly fast bowling. Why will bowlers bust their guts bowling 25 overs in a day when they can make millions bowling four overs a game in TT cricket.

There is no real solution but preparing bowler friendly wickets should help at the margins. If nothing else it will make up for the potentially lower quality of future test bowlers. And I bet the grind of test bowling becomes a lot easier if you take regular wickets.
 

salman85

International Debutant
Agree with the Fast Bowler thing.I daresay,it might become a rare art in the future.Gone are the glory days of the 80s where the greatest sight in cricket was watching a fast bowler run in and knock a batsman over.
 

silentstriker

The Wheel is Forever
What, the modern T20 fast bowler's repertoire of a slow ball, the slower ball, and the even slower ball doesn't excite you?
 

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