IPL 2023: Matheesha Pathirana 'shouldn't even get close to red ball cricket,' says MS Dhoni

In the opinion of Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni, Matheesha Pathirana should steer clear of red ball cricket. In fact, the legendary cricketer suggested he should be used sparingly in 50-over cricket as well.

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Pathirana, likened to Lasith Malinga, picked up three wickets for just 15 runs against Mumbai Indians at Chepauk on Saturday. All of his overs came in the back half of the innings which suggests his ability to bowl under pressure as well.

“I personally think he is not someone who should play a lot of red-ball cricket,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation. “I think he shouldn’t even get close to it. Even in white-ball cricket, the 50-over version he should play as less as possible. [He should] play the big ICC tournaments because he is not somebody who will change a lot. This [having an impact in short bursts] is what he will do, so you can always use him at crucial times.

“But make sure that he is fit and available for all ICC tournaments and he will be a great asset for Sri Lanka. Not to forget, he is a really young boy. Last time [in 2022], when he came, he was slightly more lean, but he has added muscle, which means he has got pretty strong. I feel he will serve for a very long time for Sri Lankan cricket, but we’ll have to keep an eye on how much he bowls.”

Pathirana had gone unsold in the auction before IPL 2022, but was brought in CSK after Adam Milne was ruled out with an injury.

Last season, he picked up two wickets from two games for CSK. This year around, he has played seven matches and collected 10 wickets – all in the death overs – at an economy rate of 7.60.

“People who don’t have very clean [conventional] action, batsmen find it difficult to pick them – in a format like this, where you have to go after the bowler, it makes it slightly difficult,” Dhoni said.

It explains why Pathirana has been used mostly in the latter stages of the innings. He’s bowled only four overs (out of 27.2 overs), before the 12th over of an inning.

“That is just on the action part, we are not talking about the pace that he bowls [at], the variations he has and the consistency he has got. All of it makes him special. What is important is to keep an eye on how much cricket he is playing.”

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