Malinga reveals why Pathirana had a 'great opportunity' under MS Dhoni-led CSK in IPL

Sri Lankan cricket legend Lasith Malinga recently appeared in an interview and spoke at length about the Indian Premier League’s latest pace sensation, Matheesha Pathirana. Playing under the legendary Indian captain MS Dhoni, Pathirana has emerged as one of the breakthrough players of the IPL 2023. The youngster represented CSK in a total of 10 games in the league stage of the 2023 season. Pathirana is the third-highest wicket-taker for CSK, above the likes of Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, and others.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo on Matheesha Pathirana’s tenure at Chennai Super Kings under four-time IPL-winning captain MS Dhoni, Malinga revealed how this has helped the 20-year-old. “He's bowling well in the IPL, but he needs to improve a bit to be ready for international cricket. You don't get to play 12 players in internationals like you can in the IPL this year,” said Malinga.

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The legendary pacer then added on how the youngster needs to start bowling during power-plays. It is worth noting that CSK has used him primarily as a death bowler in IPL 2023. Bowling in tense situations and tight moments during games, Pathirana has shown world-class control with his variations, which also include a 145 kmph yorker.

The Rajasthan Royals bowling coach further spoke about CSK’s clever tactics to use Pathirana after the first ten overs. “He got a great opportunity because of the Impact Player rule. He can start bowling in the 12th or 13th over. So the weakness he has - bowling with the new ball - gets minimised. He's also bowling when batters really have to take him on. When you bowl with this action, batters have trouble picking up the ball,” said Lasith Malinga.

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IPL 2023: Lasith Malinga responds to MS Dhoni's advice for Pathirana

Malinga also highlighted that Pathirana bowls a tremendous yorker but needs more control over it. “If he bowls five yorkers, he'll only land two correctly. But I'm sure if he keeps working on it as he is, he'll nail it in about a year or two,” added Malinga.

It is worth noting that earlier this month, MS Dhoni spoke about Pathirana’s recent rise in the cricketing ranks and asked him to stay away from Test cricket. Malinga mentioned it is hard to do that when it’s about the national team. But he acknowledged the fact that Dhoni feels so because he wants the youngster to stay away from injuries. “Maybe a lot of people will oppose me, but I don't think we should just presume that he will get injured,” he added.