There was a festive atmosphere with emotions running high among the Sri Lankan fans present in huge numbers to bid farewell to legendary fast bowler Lasith Malinga, who had announced his retire-ment from ODI cricket in the first of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh.

Tickets for the first ODI were sold out a day before the game as the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo was ready to give Malinga a fitting send-off for his achievements during his 15-year career.

There were banners like 'Our Slinga, Our pride' and 'Thank You Malinga' all over the venue, contrib-uting to an emotional atmosphere and creating a moment to honour the 35-year-old Slinga.

It was not that Malinga had started to become unwanted in the Lankan ODI side for poor performanc-es; to the contrary the fast bowler with the famous slingshot action delivered some outstanding per-formances in the just concluded ICC World Cup, including a match-winning performance against even-tual champions England.

It was not the first time that a world-class cricketer announced his retirement despite being near the peak of his powers to keep self-respect and to allow youngsters opportunities with the nation's future in mind.

Much like Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Ricky Ponting, Micheal Clarke and many other leg-ends in world cricket, Malinga also decided to hang up his boots at the right time. Lankan skipper Di-muth Karunaratne told the media that they had even requested Malinga to play for a few more years or at least complete the current ODI series.

But Malinga had already made up his mind and rightly so, before all his achievements were forgotten and there arose a demand for his removal from fans, media and the cricket board. Yesterday, it seemed Malinga was at his peak and watching the venom in his bowling, even in his last ODI, was something remarkable. The way he dismissed Bangladesh stand-in captain Tamim Iqbal with a trade-mark toe-crushing, incoming yorker which actually toppled Tamim as well as the bails brought back memories of his heydays.

There was the sense of not giving an inch from the legendary fast bowler and it seemed like it was just his second or third international match. He continued to bowl some unplayable deliveries that kept the crowd on their feet as chants of 'Mali..Mali' swept the stadium.

The right-arm seamer went on to dismiss Soumya Sarkar with another gem of a delivery that went through the gate of the left-hander to hit timber.

Now, which Bangladesh cricketer had the opportunity to say goodbye to international cricket with a final match? The answer is none.

It could be a great lesson for both senior and young members of the Bangladesh team who have wit-nessed the sheer determination and firm willingness of Malinga, who could have easily played for some more time but decided to call it off at the right time.

It is important to know the right time to make way for the youngsters as there has been a lot of talk over the retirement of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who is also on the verge of calling time on an illustrious career.

But disappointingly, the cricket culture of Bangladesh is yet to reach a level where a player could make his own decision that will be backed by the board, fans and media at the right time before a situation arises where everyone will start questioning that player's ability to stay in the team.

Malinga's farewell could be a great example for Bangladeshi players to realise the fact that you should respect the demands of the time.