The Insider: Why Malinga is less dangerous now

Since his Test debut in 2004, Lasith Malinga has been one of the most discussed bowlers in international cricket, his unusual action causing great curiosity, though it has never been formally questioned. Like most players, Malinga is a product of his environment. His youth was spent playing tennis-ball cricket on the beach, where he adapted his skill and action to suit his environment, producing a delivery that limited the bounce a tennis ball produced, allowing him tohit the target. The only time I faced Malinga was in a three-day warm-up match on India A's tour to Sri Lanka in 2002. On seeing his low-slung action, Gautam Gambhir and I realised we had to watch his hand closely and keenly, for there seemed to be very little conventional methodto his bowling