Malinga to Stay After Lanka U-turn

With 11 wickets at 10 runs apiece, Lasith Malinga has been the key player for Mumbai Indians in IPL IV so far. And that’s the reason the Mumbai franchise spent a better part of the day pensively waiting to see whether Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) reverses their decision to recall pacer Malinga. The fingers in the MI camp were uncrossed late on Thursday night, as Malinga got the all-clear to stay back in India for the entire duration of the IPL.

Earlier in the day, SLC had also ensured that the glitzy IPL doesn’t lose a major chunk of its sheen by allowing seven of their other players — two of whom are captaining their respective franchises — to continue playing in the IPL till May 18, 10 days prior to the final.


Following a meeting with sports minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, the board also announced that the seven, who are part of Sri Lanka’s Test squad for the England tour — Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratane Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Pradeep and Thissara Perera — will then fly directly from Mumbai to London a day before their second tour-game against England Lions at Cardiff.

The Sri Lankan selectors, led by chairman Duleep Mendis, had earlier in the week demanded that their England-bound players return home on May 5 for a preparatory camp prior to leaving for the three-match series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), however, had then approached their Sri Lankan counterparts and asked them to reconsider the selectors’ decision.

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