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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Pata" data-source="post: 404668" data-attributes="member: 2136">March 31, 2007 - 12:44PMAustralian captain Ricky Ponting says Sri Lankan speedster Lasith Malinga is dangerous and team-mate Mike Hussey says facing "Slinga Malinga" will be like taking on Australia's own slinging sensation Shaun Tait.One thing is for sure, when Australia play their World Cup Super Eights match against Sri Lanka on April 16 in Grenada, Ponting and Hussey will be watching the ball out of the bowler's hand as if their life depends on it.Bowling at Tait-like speeds of around 150kph, the 23-year-old Malinga took a stunning four wickets in four balls, a first in one-day international cricket, in Sri Lanka's one-wicket loss to South Africa in Guyana this week."I didn't see it but I believe he bowled some pretty good balls and the ball was reverse-swinging towards the end," Ponting said."He's dangerous. His record in one-day cricket of late has been very good for them."He's an out-and-out wicket-taker and he complements their attack pretty well too with Chaminda Vaas and Murali (Muttiah Muralitharan) who keep it pretty tight."He's a bit like Tait is for us I guess, if Taity can get it right he can do the same sort of stuff as what Malinga did."Where he delivers the ball from is right in front of the umpire's tie."It's a really unusual action and he creates really unusual angles that you don't see very often."Malinga is leading the World Cup wicket-taking tally with 11 at 11.81 alongside Australian spinner Brad Hogg (11 at 14.54)."Facing Taity is probably good practice against him," Hussey says of Malinga."It's probably a low-arm action whereas most bowlers you look up high and you can see the ball coming down there."You almost have to look at the umpire, or the umpire's tie. That's where the ball comes out."It can be a little bit awkward ... and I believe he has got a pretty good slower ball as well."He's going to be a real handful."Malinga's unusual action gave him back problems as a youngster and when he first came to notice of national selectors, he wasn't considered super quick.But after picking up the wickets of Shaun Pollock (bowled by a slower ball), Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini in a four-ball burst, everyone is taking notice."With the last spell I took wickets but that was not enough to win the game," said Malinga, who may be being a little hard on himself.</blockquote>

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