April 10, 2011 (Island Cricket): Sri Lanka's yorker specialist Lasith Malinga carried his brilliant World Cup form into the Mumbai Indians' first game of season-four of the Indian Premier League (IPL), today, at the Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi.
Malinga scalped 13 wickets at the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 tournament at an average of 20.76, which included a hat-trick; his second in all World Cups.
The 27-year-old dismantled the Delhi Daredevils’ batting order, taking 5/13 in 3.4 overs, dismissing Virender Sehwag’s side for just 95 all-out.
Of his five scalps, Australian opening batsman David Warner was the first to go, in the second ball of Malinga’s first over - out to a fast in-swinging Yorker, which uprooted his stumps in spectacular fashion. Unmukt Chand followed a delivery later, also clean bowled.
After making early in-roads into the Delhi batting line up, Malinga returned in the 15th over to cause more carnage. He disturbed Venugopal Rao’s stumps with a swinging full toss and shortly after, in the same over, South African Morne Morkel failed keep out a toe-crusher, giving Malinga his fourth wicket – all of them clean bowled in spectacular fashion.
His fifth wicket highlighted the complete package that he is; Ashok Dinda was completely deceived by a slower ball on a good length, scooping the ball straight up in the air, giving Kiwi James Franklin an easy catch at mid-off.
Malinga’s 5/13 is currently the third best bowling figures in IPL history.
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