Dwayne Bravo’s absence raised concerns about Chennai Super Kings’ death bowling. Matheesha Pathirana has ensured that CSK does not miss the illustrious West Indian at all.
Batsmen found it challenging to pick his variations because of his sling action, which is very similar to that of Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga, one of the greats of the IPL.
Matheesha Pathirana has proven his mettle in IPL 2023, with captain MS Dhoni frequently using him in the final stages of innings. In 13 games, he has already taken 17 wickets at an average economy of 7 points 71.
Let’s take a look at some of his best IPL performances where he used his skill set to outsmart the batsmen. The following are the top three IPL bowling performances by Matheesha Pathirana.
Matheesha Pathirana celebrates a wicket against CSK VS MI Match
3- Matheesha Pathirana received his first cap against the Gujarat Titans as Chennai. They were already out of the playoff race and decided to give young players a chance to shine in the coming years.
At Wankhede, Chennai struggled to a respectable score of 133/5 on a slow pitch for a change. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, and Narayan Jagdeeshan all made helpful contributions.
With nothing to lose, the CSK bowlers went all-out and made a game out of this total. Pathirana took Shubman Gill’s wicket with the first ball of the IPL on a quick fuller delivery that caught him in front of the stumps.
He next tricked Hardik Pandya with a slower one into the pitch, who checked his shot only to see it balloon to mid-off.
2- IPL 2023, Game 55, Chepauk, Delhi Capitals, 3/37.
With every batsman contributing with valuable cameos, Chennai eventually amassed a more than admirable total of 167/8 on a Chepauk pitch.
Although none of the CSK batsmen went over the 30-run threshold, the team’s collective efforts allowed CSK to lead the game by a significant margin.
The Delhi Capitals were gradually reentering the game after some early jitters, with Manish Pandey and Rilee Rossouw righting the DC ship.
To their dismay, Matheesha Pathirana proved to be too hot to handle. He first bowled Pandey into a 149 kph yorker that pinched him on the back leg next to the middle stump.
1- 3/15 versus Mumbai Indians, IPL 2023, Match 49, Chepauk.
On a slow Chepauk pitch, the Mumbai Indians did not even dream that a bowler with the same bowling action as their former spreadhead Lasith Malinga would pose a problem.
Before bowling a slower, fuller-length delivery outside, which Arshad Khan attempted to slice to a deep point but failed to do. He struck Nehal Wadhera behind the legs with a quick pin-point yorker. Ruturaj Gaikwad then took an easy catch.
After that, Pathirana misled Tristian Stubbs with a floating delivery outside off, causing a false shot at the extra cover area. Ravindra Jadeja took a superb running catch to ensure MI finished with a below-par total of 139/8.
With just four wickets lost in the chase, Chennai reached their goal with 14 balls remaining. Pathirana had a 3-for-15 spell and was named man of the match.
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