Speed merchant is back

By Panchamee HEWAVISSENTI

?His perfect long-arm release is incredibly impressive. His delivery stride and follow-through are technically very sound,? say commentators on Sri Lanka?s spinner who hypnotised some very capable players of spin by his peculiar way of bowling. Saparamadu Lasith Malinga Swarnajith is quite away from cricket these days, faced with an unexpected injury during the Test match against Australia in Melbourne last February.

Practice.... matches..... practice...... matches..... thus was his very busy schedule before his leg injury. Relaxing... exercising.... the speed bowler is enjoying a relax and leisure time these days as he has never experienced after he marked his foray into Sri Lankan cricket team.

Malinga was eligible to represent Sri Lanka in limited-overs cricket at Dambulla in 2004 and has been playing so well throughout by obtaining 79 wickets in 53 matches.

Though he has been away from cricket for couple of months, he was shortlisted for the ICC Championship in Pakistan in September this year.

I met Malinga at the Sri Lanka Cricket Board recently. So, I didn?t want to miss the chance of chatting with this ?sexy player? who is thus considered in Barbados.

Q: How are you faring these days?

A: My cricket practice is at a standstill due to the leg injury. I didn?t practise for four months. Physio at the Cricket Board is treating my leg. They do some stretching exercises as well for my leg and I only do some upper body exercises. It?s hard for me even to run or do exercises for the lower body.

Q: Were you not aware of the injury while you?re playing at the match against Australia...

A:I concentrated wholeheartedly on the match so that I couldn?t sense any difference in my body. Though there was a pain in the leg. I didn?t take much notice or care over it. I thought it?s a minor ailment in the leg and I have been playing three matches under that situation. My negligence has worsened the ailment.

Q:When I returned home, I did some check ups and doctors said that my bone is worn out. Since it?s a serious condition, they couldn?t predict the time of recovering of the injury, and I?m still doubtful of when I will fully recover. Q: You have been selected to play for ICC tournament in September?

A: Yes, I am happy that I will be able to play for the country once again. I have not fully recovered from my injury. Fervez Maharoof has the same leg problem and he too was selected to play at the ICC Championship. We both are still undergoing treatment.

Q: Since you have no practice sessions and matches, don?t you feel bored to be at home?

A: When I?m bored, I watch TV. I don?t like to listen to music. I get easily bored when I keep listening to more than three songs. At such times I sleep for four to five hours.

Besides that, I have a lot of household chores to do. I?m staying all alone in my own house at Malambe. My family is living in Galle. I do gardening, wash my clothes, sweep and arrange the whole house. Since I have to do all these, I rarely get bored to be at home. Usually I go to Cricket Board at about 8 in the morning and return home around 1.00 p.m.

Q: What about your meals?

A: Since I don?t have a servant, as I said I have got to do all household chores on my own. I rarely buy readymade takeaway food. Instead I love to eat what I cook. I get up in the morning and prepare breakfast. Sometimes noodles or bread with a curry. If I have time or would be busy in the afternoon, I would prepare both breakfast and lunch together.

Most of the time I am used to prepare lunch after I returned from treatment and exercise at the Cricket Board. I can prepare a simple meal within one to one and a half hours. I?m used to having late lunch.

If I do not feel like preparing dinner, I would go out and buy something. I usually do not have a heavy dinner. Sometimes I save what I cook in the afternoon and dinner as well.

I have a lot of sweets and fruits in the fridge. When I don?t feel like doing anything in evenings, I munch them sitting on the bench in my garden.

Q: How often do you visit your family in Galle?

A: Since I have to go for treatment everyday, I have hardly got the opportunity for travelling. My parents come to Colombo to see me once in a fortnight and stay with me during weekends.

Since my brother is still studying and my father is working in Galle, it?s very difficult for them to stay other than weekends with me. My mother should be at home to attend to their needs.

If I get a chance say once in two months, I too visit them. And stay there for a week and comeback to Colombo.

Q: Flashback on your school cricket career...

A: My first school was Vidyathilaka Vidyalaya and after that I was at Vidyaloka Vidyalaya, Galle, where I started playing cricket for the school.

Detecting my talent in bowling, School teacher Keerthi Dharmapriya made arrangements to admit me to a reputed school, because he thought that it would help me in enhancing my performance and increase the opportunities to move up the ladder nationally and internationally. I entered Mahinda College, Galle and played for their under 19 cricket team.

Q: How did you manage to play for Sri Lankan cricket team?

A: After I left school, I played for Galle Cricket Club for sometime. There I met former cricketer Champaka Ramanayake who was also a coach at the club. He offered numerous opportunities to me, such as bringing me and providing me with facilities to stay in Colombo.

With the help of Champaka Ramanayake, I was able to enter Sri Lanka Fast Bowlers? Academy and Cricket Foundation. There I could display my talents in spinning which helped me to enter National Cricket Team.

Q: After playing for Galle Cricket Club, didn?t you play for any other club?

A: I have been playing for NCC for nearly two years upto now.

Q: Who are your coaches?

A: Anusha Samarasekera, Jerome Jayaratne and Rumesh Ratnayake.

Q: You have a peculiar way of bowling. Was it developed by your coaches or was it the way you used to bowl?

A: It was self innovated. My coaches never messed around with my accustomed way of bowling. Instead they tried to enhance it with my new technique.

I initially practised the grip with a tennis ball, but to master this with the cricket ball took some doing and obviously I managed to enhance it with the assistance of my coaches. When I was practising my coaches always encouraged me to employ variations in every delivery.

Q: You were a great demand by opposite sex in Barbados. You?re named one of the sexiest men! How about the response you receive from Sri Lankan lasses?

A: Good. Sri Lankan lasses are very conservative. You know, why I?m saying that? In case I?m unable to smile or talk to them, say, when they meet me on the road or at a shopping mall or somewhere like that, they rebuff me saying I?m swollen headed . I?m not at all like that.

When I?m not in a very good mood, I?m not motivated to look at or smile with anyone. So these lasses think that I?m a very proud boy.

You know, sometimes they call me and grumble that I looked away when they smiled with me and all kinds of complaints. I know they like to talk to me, they want me to smile with them. Anyway, the response from them is good, sometimes I get proposals as well!

Pic: Sunil SAMARASINGHA