Lasith Malinga

One of the greatest of all white-ball bowlers in his pomp, Lasith Malinga gained a reputation for searing inswinging yorkers emerging from a round-arm action that was as destructive as it was distinctive. That yorker, a deceptive slower ball, and an excellent bouncer formed the body of Malinga's menace, and the action made his deliveries hard to pick; even when batters knew what was coming, they often couldn't stop it.

Spotted as a teenager on the beaches of Rathgama, near Galle, Malinga came up under the guidance of Champaka Ramanayake, among others, who famously had him bowl at a pair of shoes placed by the popping crease, honing the yorker that would define his career.

After debuting on the 2004 tour of Australia, where he took 6 for 90 in a tour game, he had an impressive tour of New Zealand the following year. At one point, his low-slung action resulted in the New Zealand batters asking the umpire to change the colour of their trousers as they were losing sight of the ball. He went on to be only the third bowler to get to the 100-wicket mark for Sri Lanka, but Malinga's true calling was the white-ball formats, where his unique action and tactical acumen flourished.

He is perhaps best remembered for the World Cup ODI in which he became the first - and still only - bowler to take four wickets in four balls, almost pulling off a miraculous win over South Africa. More hat-tricks followed - against Kenya and Australia - cementing his status as Sri Lanka's spearhead in limited-overs cricket, and he was arguably the single-most important player in Sri Lanka's excellent run in global tournaments from 2007 through 2014. In the last of those years, his incisive spell in the final of the T20 World Cup sealed their title win against India.

Injuries, especially chronic knee and ankle problems, increasingly affected the second half of his career and he retired from Tests in 2011 to prolong his white-ball journey, a decision that caused friction at home but allowed him to extend his influence across formats and continents. As the talisman of Mumbai Indians in the IPL he finished as the all-time leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 170 wickets from his nine seasons, and turned out in four out of six editions of the Champions League Twenty20. He also delivered perhaps the league's most dramatic finish - a last-ball yorker to win the 2019 final.

Even as Malinga's pace waned, his nous did not, and he remained a force in international T20s into his mid-thirties, taking four wickets in four balls again against New Zealand in 2019, and ending his T20I career as Sri Lanka's leading wicket-taker. In the leagues, he turned out in the CPL, BBL and BPL, among others.

After retirement, he extended his long-running association with Mumbai Indians, becoming their bowling coach in 2024.