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.
Pallekele, Aug 31 (PTI) Matheesha Pathirana’s sling-shot action immediately brings Lasith Malinga to mind but the young Sri Lankan did not deliberately copy his illustrious senior, his childhood coach Bilal Fassy said on Thursday, insisting that the much talked-about bowling style came naturally to the pacer.
His Malinga-like action has also earned Pathirana sobriquets like Podi (Little) Malinga in Sri Lanka and Baby Malinga among Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans.
Pathirana had a breakout season for IPL champions CSK. He snared 19 wickets from 12 matches and was Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s go-to bowler in crunch situations.