Batsmen to be wary of Malinga's new-ball threat

Lasith Malinga's ability to take early wickets has not surprised the Sri Lankan side as Tom Moody, the Sri Lanka coach, said that Malinga, the right-arm fast bowler, had been doing so in recent one-day games and Test matches.

Malinga picked up six wickets - three each - in Sri Lanka's two games at the World Cup so far. All three of his wickets against Bermuda came in the first eight overs - two off consecutive balls. Against Bangladesh he picked up his first two wickets inside the first eight overs and the third in the 36th over. Overall he has 45 wickets from his 30 ODIs at 24.20.

"He complements our attack and gives it a different dimension," Moody told AFP. "Up front, he has the ability to take wickets with the new ball. With the old ball, he is very good at executing it right up in the block-hole. He's an important part of our unit."

When they first encountered him, batsmen found Malinga's side-arm action very tough to pick as the ball would appear from right in front of the umpire. Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, had asked the umpires to change their (black) trousers when Sri Lanka toured New Zealand in 2004-05. "We can't see him when it's a bit overcast and late in the evening," Fleming had said. "There's a period there when he's delivering when it gets lost in the trousers." Malinga took 11 wickets at 30.36 in the two Tests that tour.

Malinga is part of Sri Lanka's three-pronged pace attack which includes opening bowler Chaminda Vaas and the right-arm fast medium bowler Farveez Maharoof. "The quality of Vaas with the new ball is invaluable," Moody said. "The variations of Malinga are a great asset and Maharoof is well-suited to these conditions when the ball seams around a bit."

His hairstyle, currently bleached blond, and pierced eyebrow add colour to Malinga's unpredictable bowling. "He has had many hairstyles over the past 12 months and you never know what it will be tomorrow," Moody added.