23 May, 2023: Who is this young cricketer who was praised by the legend Malinga ? Read to know more.
Lasith Malinga, a veteran of Sri Lankan cricket who is currently a bowling advisor for Rajasthan Royals (RR) and once ruled the Indian Premier League (IPL), lauded Matheesha Pathirana, a bowling expert in death overs for Chennai Super Kings, and stated that he wants the young cricketer to be a greater bowler than him.
The young man is a budding star, and it has been nothing less than wonderful to see him win over cricket lovers all around the world. The youthful pacer has frequently been compared to Lasith Malinga, one of the world’s all-time finest bowlers.
Matheesha Pathirana is a Sri Lankan cricketer who was born on December 18, 2002. Because he patterned his bowling motion after Lasith Malinga, he is known as Baby Malinga. On August 22, 2021, he played his first game of Twenty20 for SLC Greys in the SLC Invitational T20 League. He was selected for Sri Lanka's squad for the West Indies 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in January 2022.
He was selected by the Chennai Super Kings in April 2022 to take Adam Milne's spot in the 2022 Indian Premier League. He debuted versus the Gujarat Titans and took the wicket of Shubhman Gill in his first ball.
Recent success by Pathirana for CSK in the IPL 2023 has garnered attention for all the right reasons. For CSK, Pathirana has taken 15 wickets in 10 games while bowling primarily in the end of innings, which is called the death overs.
"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," Lasith Malinga said.
