Former Sri Lanka speedster Lasith Malinga has vowed Bhanuka Rajapaksa to reconsider the decision of retirement. Rajapaksa announced his retirement from the game this week after Sri Lanka Cricket (CLC) increased the fitness challenge to be eligible for the national side. Malinga, wants the player to be back in the international fold as he has still plenty of calibers.
“Representing your country at the international level is not an easy task and players always face so many challenges. I truly believe that @BhanukaRajapak3 has a lot more to give to Sri Lankan cricket and I request him to reconsider his decision to retire from international cricket” Lasith Malinga reacted on Twitter to Bhanuka Rajapaksa’s sudden retirement call,” Malinga wrote o his Twitter account.
After Sri Lanka's poor showing in recent years, the board has acted swiftly to establish new norms for fitness. The skin fold level has been lowered to 70 from 85 by the authority to keep the players fit. Rajapaksa feels that the current norm could hamper his progress as a pitch hitter and would be at a significant loss.
The new norm also included a decrease in time for the 2 km test. The players were earlier asked to complete the dash in 8 minutes and 55 seconds but were decreased by 45 seconds to bring it down to 8 minutes and 10 seconds. The increasing challenges were the skipping stone for the left-handed batter as he decided to quit international cricket.
As things stand, the board is yet to formally accept the decision and is willing to make changes to the fitness norm. Rajapaksa has represented the national side in five Test matches and 18 T20Is. Sri Lanka will next be in action on January 16 against Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series.
