Malinga reveals his bowling secrets

Lasith Malinga reveals the secret behind his yorkers and what makes him the trendiest pacer around

Lasith Malinga reveals the secret behind his yorkers and what makes him the trendiest pacer around

The other day Shaun Pollock was trying to bowl with a round arm action. His deliveries were landing in the slip.

Mumbai Indians' Lasith Malinga slings one during a fairly successful IPL stint. PIC/AFP

Clearly, the Mumbai Indians coach was trying to unravel the mystique of his pace spearhead Lasith Malinga.

Slinger Malinga is the hit of the 2009 Indian Premier League.

Malinga has become a kind of a fad. With his dyed hair, eyebrow piercing, fancy cap, Malinga has the star appeal that matches his brand of cricket u2013 fast, unconventional and lethal.

The tattoos on his right shoulder are difficult to miss. It's a long list and they reflect his personality, ambition and his cherished moments. The words read: 'I believe in myself, I have got speed'. Below them is written 99.

"It's my Sri Lanka jersey number," he says. Above the words he has tattooed his figures from the 2007 World Cup game against South Africa when he had taken four wickets in four balls. "It's my favourite moment."

He's the biggest positive to emerge from this event for the struggling Mumbai Indians.

In a format where bowlers are always under pressure, Malinga has been able to choke the batsmen at will. He is third on the list of highest wicket-takers of the tournament, having taken 12 wickets in seven games. Among the top bowlers, his economy rate of 5.01 is the best.

He has used the yorker with telling effect, firing them with such deadly accuracy that batsmen are more wary of defending their wickets than trying to score off them. So, what's the secret of his devastating yorkers.

Practice, practice
"There's no secret; it's practice, practice and more practice. That is what my coach Champika Ramanayake had told me, 'to achieve control and mastery, you have to bowl and bowl in the nets," says Malinga.

Yorker is the most effective weapon in limited-overs cricket, but the batsmen are also countering it by standing back, stepping inside and scooping the ball to fine-leg. What have been his plans when the batsmen try to improvise against him? "So what? It's just one run. I am okay with it, it's a high risk shot," he says, touching the peak of his cap.

Malinga has won the imagination of the cricket fans in the last month, but the last year has been the toughest period of his career. This is his first tournament after suffering a knee injury during the Australia series in February 2008. The biggest shock during that period was when his contract was not renewed by the Sri Lanka Cricket board.

The easy-going player has learnt to take all these setbacks in his stride. "Yeah, I felt insecure, but I am okay. I don't look beyond tomorrow. I had never ever imagined even in my dreams that I would play for Sri Lanka or will reach even where I have. So it does not matter. I play one match at a time, take one day at a time. I am only thinking about tomorrow's game, after that I have no plans," says the maverick fast bowler.

He says the IPL tournament has come at the right time for him. "After injury, I have not bowled in a 50-over match yet. Playing in IPL is ideal for me as you have to bowl only four overs. I played a T20 tournament in Sri Lanka before coming here."

The shocking decision of the Sri Lankan board notwithstanding, Malinga's impressive showings here have forced his national selectors to select him for the ICC World T20 Cup next month.

But, in his typical nonchalant manner, Malinga says: "Yeah, I am happy to be selected. But, I am not thinking whether I will play. I am coming back after a long time and we have some good bowlers." That's just Malinga being Malinga.

Does he feel at his best: "I am still not at my best. Only now I have started bowling fast, till now I was bowing within myself."

That's bad news for the batsmen in the IPL and World T20.