Sri Lanka seamer Lasith Malinga — the most successful bowler in Twenty20 international history — has retired. The 38-year-old, a World Twenty20 winner in 2014, took a record 107 T20 international wickets at an average of 20.79. He had previously retired from Tests in 2011 and one-day internationals in 2019. In a video on social media, Malinga said: “I’ve had many experiences throughout my career, and I want to share all of my experience in the future, especially with young cricketers.” Malinga, who last played a T20 for Sri Lanka in March 2020, took 390 wickets at an average of 19.68 in 295 games in all T20 cricket. He is Sri Lanka’s third highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 338 wickets, the only bowler to take three hat-tricks in ODI cricket, and the only bowler to take four wickets in four balls on two occasions.
Separately, West Indies great Michael Holding has retired from cricket commentary after more than 30 years in broadcasting, including over 20 years with Sky Sports. The 67-year-old Jamaican, considered one of the greatest fast bowlers in history, was famous for his smooth run-up that earned him the nickname ‘Whispering Death.’ He retired from playing in 1987 with 391 international wickets. In recent years Holding gained widespread praise for his anti-racism campaigning. During an England v West Indies Test match in July 2020 he spoke powerfully on Sky Sports about the Black Lives Matter movement, garnering global attention. He subsequently published a book, ‘Why We Kneel, How We Rise,’ about racism, featuring other famous sportspeople including Usain Bolt, Naomi Osaka and Michael Johnson.