Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga, born on August 28, 1983, is a former Sri Lankan cricketer celebrated as one of the greatest limited overs bowlers in cricket history. Renowned for his right-arm fast bowling, Malinga specialized as a death bowler and led the Sri Lanka national team to victory in the 2014 T20 World Cup. His unique round-arm action earned him the nickname 'Slinga Malinga', a style that revolutionized death bowling in limited overs formats.

Malinga's career is marked by his exceptional ability to take wickets in quick succession, often through his signature in-swinging yorkers. He holds numerous records, including being the only bowler to achieve two World Cup hat-tricks and the first to take a double hat-trick. His remarkable feat of claiming four wickets in four balls has been accomplished twice in international cricket, and he is the first bowler to take five hat-tricks across all formats.

On April 22, 2011, Malinga announced his retirement from Test cricket, later serving as the official event ambassador for the 2012 World Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. He retired from One Day Internationals on July 26, 2019, after a match against Bangladesh. In September 2019, during a series against New Zealand, he became the first bowler to reach one hundred wickets in Twenty20 International cricket, achieving another hat-trick and four wickets in four consecutive balls.

After a distinguished career, Malinga retired from T20 franchise cricket in January 2021 and announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on September 14, 2021. His contributions to the sport have left an indelible mark, inspiring future generations of cricketers.