Matheesha_Pathirana

Matheesha Pathirana

Matheesha Pathirana

Sri Lankan cricketer

Matheesha Pathirana (Sinhala: මතීෂ පතිරණ; Tamil: மதிஷ பத்திரன; born 18 December 2002) is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer who currently plays limited overs cricket for the national team.[1] He has been referred to as Baby Malinga, as he has modelled his bowling action after Lasith Malinga in sling action.[2][3]

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Prior to his Twenty20 debut, he was part of Sri Lanka's squad for the 2020 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.[4] In January 2022, he was named in Sri Lanka's team for the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies.[5] He was a key member of the Chennai Super Kings team which won the IPL trophy in 2023. He picked 19 wickets in the 2023 edition of the IPL. He became the youngest foreign player to win an IPL trophy.

Franchise cricket

In August 2021, he was named in the SLC Greys' squad for the 2021 SLC Invitational T20 League.[6] He made his Twenty20 debut on 22 August 2021, for SLC Greys in the 2021 SLC Invitational T20 League.[7]

In April 2022, he was signed by the Chennai Super Kings, as a replacement for Adam Milne for the 2022 Indian Premier League.[8] It was revealed that Pathirana was fast-tracked to the Chennai Super Kings side with the intervention of MS Dhoni for the 2022 season and Pathirana went onto flourish under the leadership of Dhoni.[9] In 2021, Dhoni apparently watched the clips and footages of Pathirana's bowling in a local schools cricket match in Kandy.[10] Dhoni also expressed an interest in wanting Pathirana for the 2021 Indian Premier League and he then wrote a letter asking Pathirana to get vaccinated and join CSK team in the UAE during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

He made his debut against the Gujarat Titans in 2022 IPL edition.[11][12] In the very first ball, he took the wicket of Shubman Gill, becoming the first Sri Lankan and ninth overall to achieve the feat in IPL.[13][14][15] In July 2022, he was signed by the Kandy Falcons for the third edition of the Lanka Premier League.[16] He became the youngest ever overseas Player to win an IPL tournament as he was part of CSK's triumph at the 2023 IPL. He also ended up 2023 IPL season on a high note by picking up 19 scalps with an economy of 8.01 in 12 matches and he was used as a canny operator especially in the death overs whereas he rose with a reputation as a vital cog during 2023 season.[17] Pathirana himself revealed that he learnt the craft and art of playing T20 cricket through the mentorship of MS Dhoni.[18]

International career

In May 2022, he was named in Sri Lanka's Twenty20 International (T20I) squad for their series against Australia.[19] However, he was ruled out due to an injury and did not play the series.[20][21] In August 2022, he was named in Sri Lanka's T20I squad for the 2022 Asia Cup.[22] He made his T20I debut on 27 August 2022, against Afghanistan.[23]

In March 2023, he was named in both One Day International (ODI) and T20I squad for the series against New Zealand.[24] He made his ODI debut on 2 June 2023, against Afghanistan.[25] He dismissed Rahmat Shah to claim his maiden ODI wicket.[26]

In June 2023 Sri Lanka Cricket announced their 15-member squad for the ICC ODI World Cup qualifier. The national team opted to selected Matheesha Pathirana in their line-up[27] During the first T20I against Afghanistan, Pathirana delivered match winning bowling spell where he took 4/24 which included 2 wickets in the penultimate over. Sri Lanka finally won the match by 4 runs and he adjudged player of match for his performances.[28]

References

  1. [1]
    "Matheesha Pathirana". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  2. [2]
    "WATCH:'Baby Malinga' Matheesha Pathirana breaks camera lens with explosive bouncer during CSK net session". TimesNow. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  3. [3]
    "'Big shoes to fill': Next Malinga lights up IPL - and teenage star could take on Aussies next month". Fox Sports. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  4. [4]
    "Sri Lanka squad for the ICC U19 World Cup 2020 announced". The Papare. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  5. [5]
    "Sri Lanka U19 Team to the World Cup". Cricket Sri Lanka. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  6. [6]
    "Sri Lanka Cricket announce Invitational T20 squads and schedule". The Papare. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  7. [7]
    "11th Match, Pallekele, Aug 22 2021, SLC Invitational T20 League". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  8. [8]
    "CSK sign up Matheesha Pathirana as replacement for Adam Milne". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  9. [9]
    "MS Dhoni: 'Pathirana shouldn't even get close to red-ball cricket'". ESPNcricinfo. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  10. [10]
    "Matheesha Pathirana: How a viral video caught MS Dhoni's attention and CSK came calling". The Indian Express. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  11. [11]
    "'Next Malinga' in IPL 2022: Know About Matheesha Pathirana Who Dismissed Gill, Pandya on IPL Debut - WATCH". www.news18.com. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  12. [12]
    "Shami and Saha lead the way as Titans ensure top-two finish". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  13. [13]
    "MS Dhoni: Matheesha Pathirana 'is an excellent death bowler'". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  14. [14]
    Gautam, Sonanchal (15 May 2022). "CSK vs GT: Watch – Matheesha Pathirana Bags His Maiden IPL Wicket On 1st Ball By Dismissing Shubman Gill". Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  15. [15]
    "'We have got a junior Malinga': CSK debutant breaks the internet after picking maiden IPL wicket with slingy action". Hindustan Times. 15 May 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  16. [16]
    "LPL 2022 draft: Kandy Falcons sign Hasaranga; Rajapaksa to turn out for Dambulla Giants". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  17. [17]
    "'You have nothing to worry about': MS Dhoni's heartwarming message to Pathirana's sister on meeting CSK pacer's family". Hindustan Times. 26 May 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  18. [18]
    "'I was a kid, no one knew me. Dhoni trained me, taught me how to play T20 cricket': Rising pacer Matheesha Pathirana". Hindustan Times. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  19. [19]
    "Sri Lanka call up Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwanidu Fernando for T20I series against Australia". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  20. [20]
    M, Suryesh. "Sri Lanka's Kasun Rajitha and Matheesha Pathirana ruled out of 3rd T20I vs Australia; replacements named". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  21. [21]
    "Injury rules Kasun Rajitha and Matheesha Pathirana out of final T20I vs Australia". Island Cricket. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
  22. [22]
    "Sri Lanka squad for Asia Cup 2022". Sri Lanka Cricket. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  23. [23]
    "Group B (N), Dubai (DSC), August 27, 2022, Asia Cup". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  24. [24]
    "Sri Lanka name squad for limited-overs leg of New Zealand tour". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  25. [25]
    "1st ODI, Hambantota, June 02, 2023, Afghanistan tour of Sri Lanka". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  26. [26]
    "Sri Lankan sensation Matheesha Pathirana claims maiden ODI wicket". CricTracker. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  27. [27]
    https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket/story/sri-lanka-name-squad-for-icc-odi-world-cup-qualifers-matheesha-pathirana-2390928-2023-06-09
  28. [28]
    "Hasaranga and Pathirana bring a thriller home for Sri Lanka". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
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