A man who is deadly with a ball in his hand, the Sri Lankan has been one of the most feared bowlers in cricket.
Malinga, born on this day in 1983 and turning 33 today, earned the nickname “Slinga Malinga” for good reason. His unconventional delivery, combined with rapid pace, makes him a fast bowler capable of claiming a wicket at any moment.
It’s no wonder he’s the only bowler in history to have taken three hattricks in ODIs, as well as the only player to claim two World Cup hattricks and four wickets in four consecutive balls. Malinga is also the highest wicket-taker in the Twenty20 format and led Sri Lanka as captain to glory at the 2014 World Twenty20.
In total, Malinga has accumulated 101 Test wickets, 291 ODI wickets and 78 Twenty20 international wickets. Few bowlers have ever been so fearsome.
More sports stars born on the same day:
1982: Thiago Motta, Brazilian-born footballer for Paris Saint-Germain and the Italy national team. (34)
1989: Valtteri Bottas, Finnish driver in Formula One with Williams and fourth-place finisher in 2013. (27)
1989: Cesar Azpilicueta, Spanish footballer for Premier League club Chelsea and the Spain national team. (27)
1992: Bismack Biyombo, Congolese basketball player for the NBA’s Orlando Magic. (24)
