Watch: Lasith Malinga Destroys Bangladesh On His Return To ODI Cricket
Credits: Getty

All eyes where firmly set on Lasith Malinga when Bangladesh decided to bat first against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup-opener. The veteran pacer was making his return to One-Day Internationals after almost an one-year gap.

The right-arm pacer last featured in an ODI in September 2017 against India during the home series. A veteran of 204 ODIs, apart from 68 T20Is and 30 Tests, Malinga has been plagued by injuries and fitness issues over the last couple of years. A string of injuries on his leg forced him out of nearly all international cricket in 2016. He made his return to Champions Trophy but soon found himself out of the team after a string of poor performances.

Watch: Lasith Malinga Destroys Bangladesh On His Return To ODI Cricket
Lasith Malinga (Asia Cup, Credits: AP)

But he was recalled for the ongoing Asia Cup in the UAE and the star pacer turned back the clocks with a sensational display in the first game against Bangladesh. In his very first over, he took two wickets. He first made Liton Das edge one to the slip before castling Shakib Al Hasan for a duck. His following over was a maiden as Malinga announced his return in style. The senior pacer then returned to dismiss Mohammad Mithun and Mosaddek Hossain to finish with figures of 4 foe 23 in his 10 overs.

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Here is a clip showing highlights of Malinga’s first two overs on his comeback:

https://twitter.com/iBleedGreenZEE/status/1040947599455473664

Meanwhile, a career-best 144-run knock from Mushfiqur Rahim helped Bangladesh recover from 1 for 2 to post a challenging 161.

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