Why has Lasith Malinga become rusty?

#1. The rise of prolific batsmen

Malinga's success depends on the response from the batsmen. He doesn't create anything on his own and waits for the batsmen to fall into the trap. This approach yielded sterling results in the early part of his career as batsmen during that era were mostly one-dimensional.

However, the modern batsmen bring with them new skills and approach to the crease. Boldness has become a mandatory virtue and most batsmen are willing to risk their wicket and aren't afraid of playing their strokes.

This counter-attacking attitude has seriously dented Malinga's performances as he thrives on the defensive mindset of the batsmen. Batsmen like Virat Kohli, David Warner, and Azar Ali have changed the dynamics of batting and their prolific attitude has costed Malinga his reputation.