His skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan is equally excited about the fast bowler’s inclusion in the team. “He’s looking in good form, having bowled a lot in club cricket. This Twenty20 match will give him an opportunity to bowl just four overs at full throttle to test himself at the international level,” Dilshan said.

It was a difficult time away from cricket for Malinga. For weeks, he couldn’t walk without crutches, he couldn’t train for long, and he even lost the central contract, which was restored by political intervention after a bitter outcry against the Sri Lankan board’s high-handedness.

Malinga missed the inaugural IPL but will be seen in action in the second edition with the Mumbai Indians. “The IPL was good fun to watch, and very popular. It’ll be great to finally play in it,” he said. When asked about his T20 strategy for Tuesday, Malinga’s simply said: “I just want to take wickets. That’s the plan.”