Published: Apr 08, 2014, 11:32 AM (IST)
Edited: Apr 08, 2014, 11:32 AM (IST)
Johannesburg: Apr 8, 2014
Sri Lankan pace star Lasith Malinga has revealed that he ‘really’ enjoyed his captaincy in the last three games during the World Twenty20 tournament, which his team won by beating India on Sunday in the finals at Dhaka.
Sri Lanka entered the tournament under the leadership of Dinesh Chandimal, who was suspended for one match after the team’s second slow over-rate offence in a year, following which Malinga stepped in as stand-in skipper, which proved a fairytale debut as Sri Lanka overcame India to be third time lucky in the tournament.
According to Sport24, Malinga’s leadership inexperience was more than offset by the presence of three former captains – Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan – and the current Test and One-Day International (ODI) captain Angelo Mathews.
Stating that he knows the ability of each and every player having played in the team for ten years, Malinga said that he used that experience in leading the team, adding that he really enjoyed captaining the team in the last few games of the tournament.
The report mentioned that Malinga was so jittery on his captaincy debut that he fumbled recalling the changes to the playing XI at the toss for the group match against New Zealand.
However, Sangakkara, Man-of-the-Match in the final for his unbeaten 52, said that he was impressed by Malinga’s leadership, saying that the team’s job is to support anyone who captains regardless of whoever is chosen for the post.
