Malinga primed for attack

Lasith Malinga is one of cricket's most distinguishable players © Getty Images

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With a curly blonde-streaked mop of hair, eyebrow piercing, tattoos and and an unusual bowling action Lasith Malinga was always going to get noticed by the cricket world.

But despite his unorthodox style and unique look the 24-year-old from Galle remains every inch the typically committed and thoughtful Sri Lankan cricketer.

He was quickly dubbed 'Malinga the slinger' because of a distinctive and explosive round-arm action used to generate pace which can disconcert batsmen who struggle to pick up the ball's trajectory.

And he will be the player captain Mahela Jayawardene will look to get him early wickets when they face England in five one-day internationals.

After a mixed start Malinga has developed into Sri Lanka's key pace bowling wicket-taker, especially as veteran seamer Chaminda Vaas continues to lose pace.

Although sometimes erratic with a propensity to bowl no-balls, he is a fearsome strike bowler fiercely committed to attack and hungry for wickets.

"To win matches you need to get wickets and to make an early impact in the game, you must attack," Malinga said.

"There is no such thing as being safe. Our aim should be to put the opposition under pressure very early.

"And the only way we can do that would be by attacking from the word go."

Lasith Malinga took four wickets in four balls at the World Cup © Getty Images

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"If you bowl tightly to your field then the pressure is on the batsman, I just run in to bowl with the idea of taking a wicket with every single delivery.

"My method is simple, I just try to bowl as fast and straight as possible, trying to hit a good length and every now and then I mix in a bouncer.

"I would say my most effective trick is the fact that with any new batsman I go on the attack immediately. You have a better chance of getting your man at the start of his innings and I go straight for the kill."

Malinga enhanced his burgeoning reputation at the 2007 World Cup, by reviving a Super Eight match where South Africa were cruising to victory and writing his name in the history books.

He became the first ever player to take four wickets in four consecutive balls in international cricket but typically he was more concerned that Sri Lanka had lost the match than his own achievements.

While Malinga's delivery action has attracted great comment it has never been questioned as being 'throwing' or otherwise illegal.

The only hint of controversy was when his low-slung action resulted in New Zealand batsmen asking the umpire to change the colour of their trousers as the ball was getting lost.

"My action was natural to me and a lot of the people who play softball cricket (with a tennis ball) in Sri Lanka used it," Malinga said.

Lasith Malinga says his action was came from bowling with tennis balls © Getty Images

"The key to being a successful softball bowler was to bowl fast yorkers. and that is all I tried to do.

"I like the fact that batsman find it hard to pick up my action at once and it is easier to get reverse swing with a low action. When the ball is in my hand I know that it only takes one good delivery to send the batsman packing.

"As the ball gets older, from the 15-over mark, I can come back into the attack and get the old ball to swing and that's a real advantage.

"The only disadvantage I see would be the lack of bounce I get in comparison to other bowlers."

Despite appearing the expressive showman with a somewhat simplistic attitude to bowling, Malinga is a respectful quietly-spoken player, possesses a canny cricket brain and is not getting carried away with some of the hype surrounding his performances.

The right-armer may celebrate his wickets with firebrand enthusiasm but admitted he has never been one to indulge in verbal games with the opposition.

Malinga said: "I never was one in favour of sledging because a bowler's job is to get wickets and it's to get it through his talent and not use unsportsmanlike conduct.

"International cricket is the biggest stage and when you represent your country and act like that on the field it reflects badly on yourself, the team and the country.

"Besides: what's the big achievement anyway? I like attacking, and taking wickets the way its supposed to be done."