CSK Youngster has taken 15 wickets in 10 matches for his team with an economy rate of 7.56.
The legend of Sri Lanka cricket team Lasith Malinga, who is now a bowling consultant with Rajasthan Royals and had dominated the Indian Premier League for many years, praised CSK death-overs specialist Matheesha Pathirana and said that he wants him to be better than him at bowling. Pathirana has taken 15 wickets in 10 matches for the team, with an economy rate of 7.56.
Malinga said, “I somehow want to make this guy even better than me. I think in the next Test tour, try to get him involved and give him some ODIs as well. See how he plays in the next three years, and then see what the future course needs to be. If he plays 10 or 15 Tests in the next three years, that will be invaluable to his development.
Pathirana often produces speeds of up to almost 140 clicks, and on rare occasions, he will attempt to produce a yorker at the legendary 145 mark. These three factors make him the ideal replacement for Lasith Malinga.
Malinga further added, “As an example: you know, I only learned that you can dip and reverse the ball at the same time in the last Test that I played, in 2010. Usually they bowl me from the Fort End at Galle, and it’s really easy to reverse the ball from that end with the wind coming across the ground. After six years, I finally got a good spell from the Pavilion End, and I learned how to dip and reverse a cricket ball. No one can tell when Matheesha will get those important revelations about his game.”
He said, “We’re talking about protecting him from playing for Sri Lanka before he’s even properly played for Sri Lanka. He’s only 20 years old.”
