Lasith Malinga's top ten bowling spells

Lasith Malinga, who was born on August 28, 1983, undoubtedly ranks as one of the best limited overs’ fast bowlers to have played over the last decade. Possessing a distinctively slingy round-arm action, his ability to bowl yorkers at will has made him an invaluable possession in the shorter formats of the game. He also has a sharp bouncer that is extremely difficult to pick up, because of his low-arm action, and has developed a cunning slower ball, which has confounded the best of batsmen, to his repertoire over time. He has been Sri Lanka’s go-to fast bowler irrespective of the format since the retirement of Chaminda Vaas and has remarkably managed to live up to the expectations of his captains almost every time. Although Malinga has built a fearsome reputation largely due to his exploits in One Day International and T20 cricket, he has more than a decent record in Test cricket, too. He took 101 wickets from his 30 Tests, but injuries eventually took a toll on his body, forcing him to retire from Test cricket in 2011 in order to prolong his career. On the occasion of his 31st birthday, here are Malinga’s 10 best bowling spells: 

#10 1/5 (Super Over) v New Zealand in Pallekele, Sri Lanka (2012)

Lasith Malinga’s 1/5 v New Zealand in the 2012 World T20 deserves a place in his top 10 performances, because of the fact that it came in a Super Over. Sri Lanka batted first in the Super Over and set New Zealand a target of 14 for victory. Chasing 14 in an over against most bowlers would not be out of the question, but, with Malinga running in to bowl, it’s almost impossible to do so.

Despite being up against the might of Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor, he conceded just 5 runs from his quota of 6 deliveries while also getting the wicket of Guptill.