Sri Lanka’s veteran pacer Lasith Malinga, whose 4-43 inspired them to an unlikely win over England in the ICC World Cup 2019 on Friday (June 21), said after the match that their basic plan was to keep things tight as the bowlers had enough faith on themselves.
“Our plan was to stick to a tight line and length on this pitch with the slower ones and bouncers. We have the confidence to influence matches and have faith in ourselves,” Malinga said at the post-match presentation.
Malinga’s inspired showing with the ball papered over a forgettable outing for the Lankans with the bat as they could only muster up 232-9 after opting to bat first at Headingley.
There was also every chance that England could have emerged victorious in the match due to the presence of Ben Stokes at the crease.
The hard-hitting all-rounder stuck around until the end and scored a fighting half-century that consisted of some lusty blows but ran out of partners in the end.
Malinga admitted that Stokes is a quality player but that their plans of ensuring they bowled tight to him meant he played out too many balls and thus put pressure on him.
“We know how good a player he (Stokes) is; we've seen it in T20 cricket and in the IPL. But we kept sticking to our plans, ensured that he played away dots and put pressure on him.”
Malinga also spoke to Niall O’Brien during a post-game interaction live on ICC's Facebook page. When asked about how he keeps producing performances like this, the veteran responded, “Old is Gold!”
He also revealed that Jos Buttler’s wicket was his favourite one among the four he took on the day.
Speaking about the fan support he got at Headingley, Malinga said, “There are lots of Sri Lankan people here. There are lots of Indian people here as well. Because of the IPL, they like me. Here also, they expect my team to win, against England.”
“It was a must-win game. The group stage matches are important to win because of the momentum it gives, the pressure situation it provides and how to handle short totals.”
“The team has learnt a lot from this game and gives us confidence going forward.”
The win kept Sri Lanka’s slim chances of making the semi-finals alive and they will hope to carry on this momentum when they take on fellow struggles South Africa next Friday.
England vs Sri Lanka | Bowlers Had the Confidence to Influence the Match: Malinga
Sri Lanka’s veteran pacer Lasith Malinga, whose 4-43 inspired them to an unlikely win over England in the ICC World Cup 2019 on Friday (June 21), said after the match that their basic plan was to keep things tight as the bowlers had enough faith on themselves.
“Our plan was to stick to a tight line and length on this pitch with the slower ones and bouncers. We have the confidence to influence matches and have faith in ourselves,” Malinga said at the post-match presentation.
Malinga’s inspired showing with the ball papered over a forgettable outing for the Lankans with the bat as they could only muster up 232-9 after opting to bat first at Headingley.
There was also every chance that England could have emerged victorious in the match due to the presence of Ben Stokes at the crease.
The hard-hitting all-rounder stuck around until the end and scored a fighting half-century that consisted of some lusty blows but ran out of partners in the end.
Malinga admitted that Stokes is a quality player but that their plans of ensuring they bowled tight to him meant he played out too many balls and thus put pressure on him.
“We know how good a player he (Stokes) is; we've seen it in T20 cricket and in the IPL. But we kept sticking to our plans, ensured that he played away dots and put pressure on him.”
Malinga also spoke to Niall O’Brien during a post-game interaction live on ICC's Facebook page. When asked about how he keeps producing performances like this, the veteran responded, “Old is Gold!”
He also revealed that Jos Buttler’s wicket was his favourite one among the four he took on the day.
Speaking about the fan support he got at Headingley, Malinga said, “There are lots of Sri Lankan people here. There are lots of Indian people here as well. Because of the IPL, they like me. Here also, they expect my team to win, against England.”
“It was a must-win game. The group stage matches are important to win because of the momentum it gives, the pressure situation it provides and how to handle short totals.”
“The team has learnt a lot from this game and gives us confidence going forward.”
The win kept Sri Lanka’s slim chances of making the semi-finals alive and they will hope to carry on this momentum when they take on fellow struggles South Africa next Friday.
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