Jayawardene backs Malinga by sharing his shirtless picture

London:  Former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene shared Lasith Malinga’s viral shirtless picture from last week to answer back to his critics after Sri Lanka beat pre-tournament favourites England riding his heroics.

“Well bowled Mali!!! Thought I’d share the most talked about picture last week for all you fans,” he wrote on Instagram.

The bowler was trolled on social media after the picture of his unfit body went viral.

Malinga was the star of the show as Sri Lanka fashioned a stunning 20-run win over hosts England at the World Cup. In his 10 overs, Malinga took four wickets for 43 runs.

https://www.instagram.com/p/By-x0FfhAsw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

England were chasing 233 and it was all rounder Ben Stokes who kept them going as Sri Lanka chipped away at their lower order. They were 188/9, needing 46 to win off 31 balls when Stokes was dropped at deep midwicket.

“We know how good a player he is, we’ve seen it in T20 cricket and in the IPL,” said Malinga in the post-match presentation. “But we kept sticking to our plans, ensured that he played away dots and put pressure on him. It paid off.”

Stokes was unbeaten on 82 off 89 as Sri Lanka dismissed England’s last man Mark Wood.

“Our plan was to stick to line and length on this pitch with the slower ones and bouncers. We have the confidence to influence matches and have faith in ourselves,” said Malinga.

 Published on: June 22, 2019 at 21:50 IST

IANS