NEW DELHI: Matheesha Pathirana‘s sling-shot action immediately reminds one of Lasith Malinga, but the young Sri Lankan did not purposely mimic his legendary senior, according to his childhood coach Bilal Fassy, who insisted that the much-discussed bowling style came naturally to the pacer.
Pathirana’s Malinga-like motion has earned him nicknames such as Podi (Little) Malinga in Sri Lanka and Baby Malinga among Chennai Super Kings (CSK) supporters.
Pathirana had a breakout season for IPL champions Chennai Super Kings. He took 19 wickets in 12 matches and was the go-to bowler for Mahendra Singh Dhoni in crucial circumstances.
While Dhoni is training the 20-year-old to be CSK’s designated death overs specialist, Fassy believes the Sri Lankan cricket establishment should treat him with caution.
“Seeing his action, a lot of people think that he has modelled it after seeing Malinga. Pathirana also trained under Malinga. But he came to me with this action from day one, and we just worked on it a bit, considering it can put a lot of stress on his young body,” Fassy told PTI.
Despite his burgeoning star, Pathirana still seeks advice from Fassy, who operates a cricket training centre at Trinity College.
Pathirana’s true ability to produce pace surprised Fassy when he first joined his programme five years ago.
“He (Pathirana) was naturally quick. He did not have to put in a lot of effort to get pace unlike some other boys. On top of it, he was very accurate too as you might have seen while he was bowling in the IPL. He has a fast and accurate yorker that can trouble even the best. His arm speed is just outstanding,” he said.
Fassy warned against putting too many expectations on the young man.
“He has talent and he will go a long way if supported properly. But he is just beginning, so don’t compare him with legends like Malinga or (Chaminda) Vaas.”
“Let him be his own and allow him to work on his skills and make a mark. He is important for Lanka as we have two World Cups in two years (50-over in 2023, T20 WC in 2024),” he noted.
Eric Simons, the former India bowling coach who currently works in a similar capacity for CSK, was also impressed.
“I have worked with Pathirana over two seasons (2022, 2023) in the IPL. He has shown tremendous improvement. He is a quick learner. Yes, at times he can be a bit erratic,” the South African told PTI.
But what impressed him more is his temperament, considering that he is barely out of his teens.
“But for someone who has started top level cricket a couple of years back, he has shown a good temperament to handle a tough task like bowling at death in T20s. I feel he is going to be a big part of Sri Lanka and CSK for a long time,” Simons said.
With the ODI World Cup quickly approaching, Sri Lanka is racing against the clock to have its first-choice bowling unit battle ready, as three pacers are injured.
Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, and Dilshan Madhushanka have been ruled out of the Asia Cup 2023, and the trio is vying for a spot in the quadrennial event.
As a result, Sri Lanka hopes that a 20-year-old prodigy will be ready for a bigger role sooner rather than later.
“His strength is his unorthodoxy. He has shown that in the IPL, and he has good pace as well. We can gradually hand him more responsibility, and he has a good attitude as well. We are looking at him as a long-term option, and hopefully, he can be someone like (Lasith) Malinga for us,” said Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka.
Former India skipper Dhoni had advice for Sri Lanka cricket establishment during the 2023 IPL.
“I feel he should not play red-ball cricket, not even get close to it, he can play only ICC tournaments. He is young and he would be a great asset for Sri Lankan cricket,” Dhoni had said.
(With inputs from PTI)
Pathirana’s Malinga-like motion has earned him nicknames such as Podi (Little) Malinga in Sri Lanka and Baby Malinga among Chennai Super Kings (CSK) supporters.
Pathirana had a breakout season for IPL champions Chennai Super Kings. He took 19 wickets in 12 matches and was the go-to bowler for Mahendra Singh Dhoni in crucial circumstances.
While Dhoni is training the 20-year-old to be CSK’s designated death overs specialist, Fassy believes the Sri Lankan cricket establishment should treat him with caution.
“Seeing his action, a lot of people think that he has modelled it after seeing Malinga. Pathirana also trained under Malinga. But he came to me with this action from day one, and we just worked on it a bit, considering it can put a lot of stress on his young body,” Fassy told PTI.
Despite his burgeoning star, Pathirana still seeks advice from Fassy, who operates a cricket training centre at Trinity College.
Pathirana’s true ability to produce pace surprised Fassy when he first joined his programme five years ago.
“He (Pathirana) was naturally quick. He did not have to put in a lot of effort to get pace unlike some other boys. On top of it, he was very accurate too as you might have seen while he was bowling in the IPL. He has a fast and accurate yorker that can trouble even the best. His arm speed is just outstanding,” he said.
Fassy warned against putting too many expectations on the young man.
“He has talent and he will go a long way if supported properly. But he is just beginning, so don’t compare him with legends like Malinga or (Chaminda) Vaas.”
“Let him be his own and allow him to work on his skills and make a mark. He is important for Lanka as we have two World Cups in two years (50-over in 2023, T20 WC in 2024),” he noted.
Eric Simons, the former India bowling coach who currently works in a similar capacity for CSK, was also impressed.
“I have worked with Pathirana over two seasons (2022, 2023) in the IPL. He has shown tremendous improvement. He is a quick learner. Yes, at times he can be a bit erratic,” the South African told PTI.
But what impressed him more is his temperament, considering that he is barely out of his teens.
“But for someone who has started top level cricket a couple of years back, he has shown a good temperament to handle a tough task like bowling at death in T20s. I feel he is going to be a big part of Sri Lanka and CSK for a long time,” Simons said.
With the ODI World Cup quickly approaching, Sri Lanka is racing against the clock to have its first-choice bowling unit battle ready, as three pacers are injured.
Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, and Dilshan Madhushanka have been ruled out of the Asia Cup 2023, and the trio is vying for a spot in the quadrennial event.
As a result, Sri Lanka hopes that a 20-year-old prodigy will be ready for a bigger role sooner rather than later.
“His strength is his unorthodoxy. He has shown that in the IPL, and he has good pace as well. We can gradually hand him more responsibility, and he has a good attitude as well. We are looking at him as a long-term option, and hopefully, he can be someone like (Lasith) Malinga for us,” said Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka.
Former India skipper Dhoni had advice for Sri Lanka cricket establishment during the 2023 IPL.
“I feel he should not play red-ball cricket, not even get close to it, he can play only ICC tournaments. He is young and he would be a great asset for Sri Lankan cricket,” Dhoni had said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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