Man of the Match shared

Elmo RODRIGOPULLE in West Indies

CRICKET: A mix up prevented Lasith Malinga from winning the Man of the Match Award. But also well that ends well and finally the adjudicators made Malinga and Langeweldt - Joint Man of the Match award winners.

Malinga with a slinging action, rewrote the record books with four wickets in four balls and deserved the Man of the Match award and why the adjudicators failed to do that, first awarding it to Langeweldt and then changing their minds will always remain a mystery.

Malinga’s spell was easily the best hostile and fiery bowling efforts seen in any style of the game. With the Proteas waltzing to victory at one stage, Jayawardena when everything seemed lost, called on Malinga who had been bashed around in his early overs to give his best shot.

And how well the dyed-haired Malinga responded. He came steaming in and Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis and Makaya Ntini did not know what hit them.

In the same over he would have bowled Robin Petersen. The ball kissed the wicket and how it did not fall back, only the ball and the wicket would know.

After the game an elated Malinga who had still not come to terms with his magnificent effort that would have snatched a victory from the ‘jaws of defeat’ told the media that he was happy to be a part of that historic effort, but was not that excited because he could not bowl his side to victory.

‘We needed one wicket to win after I took four wickets in four balls. I always play the game hard. I am not that happy because my team could not win the match’, said Malinga who was at the media briefing with his skipper Mahela Jayawardena.

Malinga’s peculiar action, where he delivers the ball with a slinging action is new to cricket fans here in Guyana and after his telling spell, there were youngsters on the streets trying to copy his action. It is good for West Indies cricket.

When asked what he told Malinga when he handed him the ball, Jayawardena said that he told the bowler that this is our last chance and to give of his best.

‘I told the bowler to run up to the wicket and enjoy his last two overs. He amazingly turned things around and I could not have asked for more from him. It was a truly a remarkable effort, said the captain.

South African skipper Greame Smith also praised Malinga’s electrifying spell. ‘You got to give Malinga the credit, he is a great bowler’, said Smith.

Providence Stadium where Malinga rewrote the record books is a brand new playing field and the locals who made it to the match will remember Malinga for a long, long time to come.

When the bowler was unleashing his mesmeric spell, the chants around the entire ground was ‘Malinga, Malinga, Malinga’.

Guyana, Friday