Sri Lankan slingster aims to bowl faster

3 years in the making
He made his Test debut when Sri Lanka last toured Australia in 2004. Malinga took 6 wickets in that match and made an instantaneous impact, but couldn’t stop the mighty Australians from winning the Test.

Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardena feels that Malinga has come off age and is an enhanced bowler today. The 24-year old with his bleach-blond curls and eyebrow piercing caused nightmares for batsmen at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the West Indies.

Key to Lankan success"He has learned to adjust to different conditions and batsmen," Jayawardene said. "Now he's got the ability to control his aggression, which is a good thing. He is one of our attacking options."

"You need to be aggressive but you should not go overboard. When you lose your composure, that's when they [Australia] come back at you very strongly. It's the seniors' responsibility to guide the guys through periods in difficult situations," said the Sri Lankan captain.

If Sri Lanka are to cause an upset to Australia in the two-Test series, Malinga is tipped to play a decisive role for the Islanders.