The Chennai Super Kings are having a successful season in the 2023 Indian Premier League; with four games left, they are currently ranked top-4. The Super Kings are one of the favorites to win the tournament this year and have seen a number of players step up for the team in various matches, including Matheesha Pathirana, an up-and-coming star from Sri Lanka.
The pacer joined the CSK last year and has been a significant member of the starting XI this season. His bowling motion bears an eerie resemblance to that of one of Sri Lanka’s legendary bowlers, Lasith Malinga.
So far, Pathirana’s pinpoint yorkers in the final overs have been crucial to CSK’s numerous victories; as a result, former New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris has made an intriguing claim about the youngster. Styris thinks Pathirana can actually outperform Malinga, arguing that the latter can ultimately gain from the former’s ability to bowl fast.
The former Kiwi star claimed Malinga’s heyday as a bowler lasted 3–4 years and that, after that, his velocity started to diminish, making it easier for hitters to handle his yorkers.
Styris said
“I think Pathirana could be better than Malinga. I accept that it’s a massive call because he’s too early in his career. He’s not as accurate as Malinga yet, but Malinga was at his best when he was bowling at 145kph. And he only had about 3 or 4 years where that was the case. When he had that speed, and then the change-ups came, you had to respect that pace. When his top speed was down to 135, you could probably look at the slower ball more and react to the Yorkers,” Styris said.
“What we’ve seen with Pathirana is that he’s bowling at 145, 146, 148kph, so he has that natural advantage. He hits the Yorkers pretty well. As he naturally evolves and gets more experience, he can hit those Yorkers with that action as much as Malinga, but with a quicker speed and the ability for change-ups. He’s the exciting talent for Sri Lanka, and exciting talent for CSK,” he further added.
Batters have found it hard to hit Pathirana due to his high pace yorkers, deceptive slower ball, and a lethal bouncer.
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