Sri Lanka spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan has claimed that paceman Lasith Malinga would take some time to get back to his best form at the World Cup, as the sling-arm fast bowler is enduring a nightmare return to the pitch after a six-month gap.
Malinga was smashed to all parts of the Hagley Oval on Saturday in his team's 98-run loss to New Zealand, ending with figures of none for 84 off his 10 overs as Brendon McCullum's men piled up 331 for six.
It was Malinga's first international match since undergoing ankle surgery in September, Sport24 reported.
However, Muralitharan, who retired in 2011 after taking 534 ODI and 800 Test wickets, believes that Malinga would have benefited from his brutal treatment.
Muralitharan said that although Malinga's figures looks like a horror show with none for 84 from his 10 overs, he would have benefited from the outing.
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He added that they have to be realistic about the paceman, after all.
Muralitharan said that Malinga is coming into the tournament off the back of no cricket since his ankle surgery last September and it would take time for the paceman to get back to his best.
And, Muralitharan added that the chance to get more overs under his belt against Afghanistan and Bangladesh in their next two games would be good news for Malinga and for Sri Lanka.
