Return to Test cricket most unlikely:

Lasith elated over ODI hat-trick record

Ravi LADDUWAHETTY

Sri Lanka seamer Lasith Malinga, who on Monday night created the world One Day International record for the most number of hat-tricks in the history of the game, and winner of LG Abans Man of the Series award in the just concluded five-match ODI Series against Australia, said that he was elated over his performance.

Malinga now becomes the only bowler of the history of the ODI cricket to take three hat-tricks which was created at the R Premadasa Stadium on Monday night.

Malinga, on Monday night, in three consecutive deliveries, had Mitchell Johnson bowled, John Hastings lbw and Xavier Doherty also bowled.

This follows his other two hat-tricks, the first one being against Kenya on March 1, 2001 at the same venue, where he had T Mishra lbw and bowled P J Odonga, and S O Njoche.

The third performance was against South Africa in the ICC 2007 World Cup at Gayana on March 28, 2007 where he had Shaun Pollock bowled, Andrew Hall caught by Upul Tharanga, Jacques Kallis caught behind and bowled Makaya Ntini.

This was also the only instance in World Cup cricket that a bowler took four wickets in four consecutive balls.

Earlier, the bowler who had two hat-tricks in ODI cricket was Pakistan’s Wasim Akram against West Indies at Sharjah on October 14, 1989 when he had bowled P J Dujon, Malcolm Marshal and Curtly Ambrose.

The second instance that Wasim Akram had a hat-trick was against Australia also at Sharjah on May 4, 1990 when he had M G Hughes, C J Rackerman (Carl), and T M (Terry) Alderman, all bowled.

Commenting on his success at the post-match news conference late Monday night, Malinga said that while he was elated over his epoch making performance, that his return to Test cricket was most unlikely.

“Now that I am limited to only ODI and Twenty20 cricket, I will give my best to the game as cricket is the only thing that will be left for me.”

When passionately and repeatedly asked by journalists whether he would return to Test cricket assuming his injuries were improving and also assuming that he got the selectors’ nod again, he said that it was most unlikely that he would be selected again for the Test and that he was enjoying his leisure and freedom while playing only shorter format of the cricket.

Asked whether his sporadic batting performances did not motivate him to be an all-rounder he said that it was not so. “I am here only as a bowler but if the team requires an additional 10 to 15 runs at a time of crisis, I will gladly oblige. But I have no hopes of performing as a batsman,” he said.