Ravichandran Ashwin, the leading spinner for Team India, discussed the unique slinging bowling style of Matheesha Pathirana, who is from Sri Lanka and plays for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Pathirana’s bowling action frequently reminds people of the legendary Sri Lankan bowler Lasith Malinga because of its resemblance, but Ashwin pointed out that Matheesha Pathirana‘s distinct release angle might increase his risk of injuries.
That puts immense strain on his back- Ravichandran Ashwin on the CSK Pacer
In his most recent YouTube video, when comparing the bowling styles of Pathirana and Malinga, Ashwin offered his insights on how their actions differ and what that means for the young bowler. He said,
“One problem that he has but Malinga doesn’t have is that his angle of release is much lower. That puts immense strain on his back, and his front leg literally collapses when he releases the ball; the core gets worked up too much, and it is very strenuous. Lasith Malinga goes for a beautiful side-on position. His back and feet will be parallel to the crease. But Pathirana doesn’t get that. The action is breaking, it is rotating, and the torque is huge,”
“In the recent T20I vs. Bangladesh, it felt like he was straining too much. His hamstring was gone straight. Many people do not understand that everything is connected to one another—his back and glutes, along with his legs. The biomechanics work together,” he added.
It’s notable that Matheesha Pathirana sustained a hamstring injury in the recent T20I series against Bangladesh, forcing him to miss the third match of the series.
He is getting into some dangerous positions and complications- Ravichandran Ashwin on Matheesha Pathirana
Ravichandran Ashwin also discussed his conversation with Lasith Malinga about Matheesha Pathirana’s bowling action, sharing insights from their discussion. Ashwin elaborated that Malinga himself acknowledged that Pathirana sometimes gets into awkward positions while bowling.
“I understand the complexity of facing him is different, but he’s facing different problems now. This might be just his early stages, and his body needs to fill up more, but he is getting into some dangerous positions and complications. In fact, I’ve worked so much with Malinga, and Malinga himself told me that he’s a great prospect, but he gets into awkward positions, which is what I feel,”
Matheesha Pathirana played a crucial role as Chennai Super Kings’ death bowling specialist in IPL 2023, emerging as the team’s third-highest wicket-taker with 19 scalps from 12 matches, maintaining an economy rate of 8.00.
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