Srilankan pace spearhead Lasith Malinga on Monday said that bowlers will play an important role in World Cup 2019, scheduled to begin on May 30 in England and Wales.


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Malinga has put his faith in bowlers at a time when batsmen are literally dominating the game and scores of 300+ have now become normal in nearly every game. Most of the experts are of the view that master blasters and superb strikers would have a big influence in the upcoming World Cup but Malinga believes that bowlers can still change the outcome of a match.


“Cricket is going towards the batsmen but bowlers can change the game, they get the wickets and that wins a match,” Malinga was quoted as saying in a press release by International Cricket Council (ICC). Malinga made the statement following Sri Lanka’s defeat to Australia in the warm-up game at the Hampshire Bowl.


“Whoever has the skilful bowlers, in any condition on any pitch, will have the advantage in the team. Bowlers need to have a skill, then know how to analyse a game. They need to improve as quickly as they can and get confidence from their performances. In the last couple of years, I have worked on the variations and it boosts confidence, but situation analysis is very important," added the ICC statement.


Talking about himself, Malinga, who is known for bowling yorkers at will, said that he need to take wickets to become a match-winner for his side. Malinga added that if slower balls can help him in getting wickets, he will not hesitate to bowl them. “The team expects and I expect in myself to know how to do this, if I want to be a match-winner I need to take wickets and if I feel that’s a slower ball, I go for it. I have good confidence to bowl it," read the ICC statement.