prone Sri Lanka paceman Lasith Malinga Friday quit Test cricket in a bid to prolong his career in One-Day Internationals and Twenty20 matches. Malinga is currently playing for MumbaiIndians in the Indian Premier League and had made himself unavailable for Sri Lanka's tour of England, attracting criticism that he had chosen to play for club over country. “In January this year I wrote a letter to Sri Lanka Cricket and released a statement to the media confirming that I planned to reassess my Test future after the World Cup,” he said in a statement. “I decided that I needed to make myself unavailable for Test cricket in an effort to prolong my career as a national cricketer for Sri Lanka. “Although I am sufficiently fit to play both ODI and T20 cricket, I have a long-standing degenerative condition in my right knee that needs to be carefully managed.” Malinga said he first sustained damage to his knee while playing in a one-day series in Australia in 2008. He has only played two Tests since, both against India last year. “I did try to return to Test cricket after a three-year absence last year following requests from the team management and the selectors, but it left me unfit nursing severe knee pain for two months,” Malinga said. “I have realized that the heavy workload of test cricket, which requires a fast bowler to be able to bowl more than 15 overs, sometimes on consecutive days, could lead to permanent injury.” Malinga played 30 Tests, taking 101 wickets at an average of 33.15 after making his debut in 2004. He has a much better record in the shorter formats and he starred for Sri Lanka in the team's run to the final of the World Cup this month, where it lost to India. Malinga has taken 127 wickets in 84 ODIS, at 26.38. In T20 internationals, he has 35 victims in 29 matches. Zulqarnain flying back home Exiled cricketer Zulqarnain Haider says he will go ahead with his plan to return to Pakistan Sunday despite receiving telephone calls threatening him if he did so. The wicketkeeper fled to Britain from the team hotel in Dubai in November, saying he had received death threats from match fixers. Haider wrote on his Facebook page “Going Pakistan on 24th on Sunday”. Pakistan media reported Thursday that Haider may cancel his homecoming after the threatening calls, but Haider denied the reports, saying “coming with same plan.” Last week he revoked his application for asylum in Britain after meeting the Pakistan interior minister, who gave assurances about Haider's security when he returns to the country.
