Veteran Sri Lanka paceman Lasith Malinga revealed he could retire following the ICC World Twenty20.

Malinga, who retired from Test cricket in 2011 in order to prolong his career in the one-day international and T20 format, was asked about his future after helping Sri Lanka to an underwhelming 14-run win over United Arab Emirates in the Asia Cup on Thursday.

The 32-year-old captain claimed figures of 4-26 in his first competitive match since November and he later hinted an announcement could be made before next month's World T20 in India.

"I am playing [for] 12 years in the national team, I am 32 years old," Malinga said.

"I think if now I have an injury, it is hard to get rest. If I take rest for a year or more, that's the end of my career.

"If I need to play for my country, I have to play tough cricket in the last few months or years. I don't think I can fully recover from this injury but I try to manage this in future.

"I don't know how many months or years I will play. [At the] end of my career, I try to play maximum number of games for my national team or in the IPL. I want to play as long as possible, and at my best."